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Post by Heret Velnnarul on Nov 26, 2019 16:51:41 GMT
16 Uktar, 1396 AR
at the Gilded Mirror, Daring Heights
Curious letter today from Rama, whom I’ve not seen for many a tenday. Simply this: ‘Got a job for you, meet me at The Etting in 2 days time. Anung Un Rama.’ Not the most enticing offer but I shall go and learn what this ‘job’ may be – should other business permit.
Spent most of the day at the factory. Consulted G about magical traps and effects. I would not be caught out by any more sliding floors or sweltering corridors on my next visit to the quarry! In his opinion the surest way would be a ‘spell scroll’, being a paper inscribed with a magical abjuration, whose reader, if he be adept in that magic, may dispel such dangers. G has not time himself to make such a thing but he has given me the address of one in DH who can supply one. TASK: buy scroll.
Sergeant Grimes of the Watch called at the factory as arranged. A business-like fellow, of copper or steel I should think, polite, with sharp eyes. It seems he is inquiring into the killing of a townsman who worked sometimes at the lumber camp. Hacked to death in the street! This was some time ago, but it seems the Watch have been making slow progress. When Grimes described the fellow I recalled him – a sullen, shortish man with a crooked nose. I could tell the Sergeant little of any use, but sent him off to the camp with a note for Shosre asking her to assist him. If the man had any friends or associates when he worked there, she will be able to furnish Grimes with the particulars.
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Post by Heret Velnnarul on Nov 26, 2019 16:51:55 GMT
[One entry omitted.]
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Post by Heret Velnnarul on Nov 26, 2019 16:54:21 GMT
18 Uktar, 1396 AR a cave in the Sunset Spine Slept poorly, woke early and did a little work on the Company accounts by candle-light. Once the sun was up, made my way to the Three-headed Ettin to see about Rama’s ‘job’. There met a curious collection of other job-seekers: - Wil, a long-haired young man, some sort of mage;
- Boelin, another magician, this one in his middle years and wearing far less than seems advisable in this cold weather;
- Flick, a lively and nimble fellow, not bad with a crossbow;
- Gegrun, an armoured half-orc of limited intellect but some kind of uncontrolled magic within.
As we waited, W explained that he had recently retrieved some documents for R from a lost ship whereon was a shrine to Lolth! In time R himself appeared and took up the tale: the papers had mentioned an alliance of certain persons with the gnolls of the Sunset Spine, and an imminent attack on a desert settlement named Hagar Karim. R, it seems, is friendly with the people of this place, who are bred of orcs and dragonborn! He is concerned for their security and asked us all to go with him to discover whether they are safe. Their settlement is about a day and a half from DH, he says – or perhaps more or less, for the ‘dracorcs’ move the entire village from place to place periodically! They are very skilled engineers, according to R. In truth, these curious details were enough to gain my interest, and in any event I was keen for a little field practice after so long tending to Company business. I must be in good form for the clearing of the quarry next tenday! But for the sake of sport I haggled a little, raising R’s offered recompense from 150 to 175 gp, he also to provide horses for those in need, and to renounce his claim on any spoils. We rode uneventfully to a place not far from Stoneleaf. G’s animal is a strange, gangly, lumpen beast that I believe is what tales of Zakhara call a ‘camel’. These creatures can be found in the region of Kundar, according to G. R led us into a narrow pass through the mountains. At first we purposed to make the passage tonight, though dark was falling; I was at first doubtful of the wisdom of this, but the rest were eager, so I acquiesced. In the end I think I had it right, for no great distance into the pass I found traces of a great pack of gnolls, some 50 or 60, only two or three days old and travelling in the same direction as we. By this time F had taken it into his head to go scouting ahead, and was soon set upon by a gnoll. By good luck the creature was alone, and we dispatched it (with a good deal of shouting on the part of some of my companions, despite my exhortations to quiet). This encounter has dampened the enthusiasm of my fellow travellers for further nocturnal travel and we are now encamped in a foul-smelling cave, evidently the gnoll’s sleeping-place before we gave it a more permanent one at the foot of the cliff. W and G are to take the first watch, then wake me and R for the second. So now, to bed – with my face wrapped in cloth to keep out the stench! |
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Post by Heret Velnnarul on Nov 26, 2019 16:57:30 GMT
19 Uktar, 1396 AR encamped in the foothills of the Sunset Spine
A rather gloomy victory.
After waking at dawn, we travelled through the pass without further trouble, and emerged somewhat after noon into a bone-strewn desert stretching in all directions save for the mountains behind us. If I have the matter rightly in my mind, the pass cut slant-wise through the mountains in a roughly N direction. Continuing across the sands in the same direction we crossed the well-trodden path from DH to Kundar that leads around the NE end of the Sunset Spine. We must then have been farther N than the terminus of the mountain range.
Some time later we descended to the bottom of a large canyon, where there were many caves. One huge opening contained a whole village of buildings. Inside was the aftermath of a massacre: many butchered corpses of huge figures, 9-10ft tall, like orcs but with patches of lizard-like scales. Hiding, we saw 2 gnolls come from within the cavern, pick up one of these bodies, and drag it back into the depths. At R’s request, we prepared to follow them quietly. Most of the animals we left where they were, but R furnished me with a remarkable magical box, just the size of a hand’s palm but able to somehow accommodate Zozo within it, so that I could keep her with me!
Creeping on, we beheld a great mound of bodies in the village’s central square, and four wooden posts driven into the ground with villagers tied to them – one already killed, the other three still living. There too were a number of gnolls.
At this moment there came up behind us a youth of this same orcish-draconic race, who seemed already known to B, W, G. The child led us silently away to a place in the rock wall of the cavern, then walked through it and vanished! Following, we passed through the illusion of stone with a shudder and came into a dark cave full of the children of the village, most of them younger than our guide, whose name was Makov. They – the few who could speak the common tongue – told us that many gnolls had attacked the village. These must have been the same gnolls whose tracks I saw in the pass. Most of the attackers had departed again, leaving only those we’d seen in the square.
Quietly surrounding the square, we struck. R engaged the armoured gnoll who seemed to be in command. There was also a mage among them who had some kind of power of mental influence, using it to turn F against me and then, horrifyingly, taking control of my own mind. I give thanks to Tymora that I was able to do little harm to G thanks to his armour and shield. At length F, who had recovered himself, brought the gnoll magician to heel and freed me from its command. We soon finished the gnolls, though not without very narrow escapes for W and R.
Released from their bonds, the few surviving villagers told us that five days ago a kobold woman had come to them, leading a group of kobolds and undead creatures. This seemed to spark some recognition in W, though I did not fathom the connection between this event and the gnolls’ attack. In turn, the head of the village also recognized W, having apparently known one of his ancestors.
R has said he will pay us 200 gp each – the increased fee in thanks for capturing the gnoll mage alive. We also took from the gnolls: - the mage’s staff, made of a large carven bone;
- a potion of some kind;
- a large sword, apparently magical;
- damaged half-plate armour, capable of repair;
- a valuable gem.
To be divided on our return to DH.
Own conduct: unsatisfactory. We should have pressed ahead through the pass. We might have reached the village in time to do something. And in the fight against the gnolls I was more a liability than an asset, thanks to the mage’s control of my mind. TASK: ask G about such magics and how to protect against them.
Our journey back toward the town has been without incident. We are camped now in the foothills for the night.
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Post by Heret Velnnarul on Nov 26, 2019 16:58:49 GMT
20 Uktar, 1396 AR
at the Gilded Mirror, Daring Heights
For the rest of the journey back from the Sunset Spine, found myself thinking of the many orphans of Hagar Karim. What will they do now? If I had
After we reached DH late in the day, I was induced to go with the others to the Three-headed Ettin for some unsatisfactory beer. Gathered some news, or at least gossip, of the war in K’ul Goran. It seems matters there have become complex: an elven people, neighbours to the K’ul Gorans, have apparently become involved somehow, and there is also some talk of another group who live underground. It’s been some time since I heard from GV. TASK: write to GV tomorrow.
Returned to my room to find a note from ZS. She writes that she has heard of a group of people making enquiries about Stoneleaf, though they have not contacted her directly; in particular they seem to be asking about the catacombs and what’s in them. Most recently – which prompted her to write to me – she heard tell that they were about to set off for the quarry. As soon as I read this I consulted L. Fortunately I shall be going there myself in a few days. We agreed that in the mean time we shall send several of the Venture’s most capable labourers at first light tomorrow to encamp there and deny entry to any trespassers. TASK: choose and brief the group before dawn tomorrow.
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