Session One: October 25, 2008
Scrithengard time: Early autumn, First Journsday of Meriloom (roughly analagous to the 1st of September)
I came to Merrywell Manor at Jade’s request and received accommodations at the wizard’s tower. I’ve wandered from one nation to the next for too long; too many events have slipped my notice. Once settled, Jade introduced me to several of her associates and we sat down for something more than just a social gathering. Jour and Axel have been part of an adventuring company active in Haven for a while. It was through their efforts that Merrywell was cleared for habitation. Now their party has gone their separate ways and these two—Jour is a paladin of Pirs, Axel a shadowdancer dedicated to Sefana and Lees—wanted to continue with their previous mission. Now they attempt to find the phylactery of the King Immortal and destroy it before the Ebon Serpent can find it and use it to control the lich himself. I did not know that liches could retain more than one phylactery, as apparently one has been found and destroyed already in their prior campaign. Theirs is a task that Jade suspected I would appreciate. Joining us was an elven ranger and mage, Kiiren, that had served in the wars between the Empire and Sheenosek, and then in the war for Haven’s freedom. We agreed to join forces in order to find that phylactery first. After much discussion, my suggestion to find a means of destroying the phylactery first prevailed. While the efficiency of locating the lich’s soul and then running north into the Diamond Kingdoms to destroy it is undeniable, we do not know if the cloud giants can help us or whether they will attempt to kill first and ask questions of our cadavers later. For that matter, there are two locations where the phylactery might be hidden: near the Sooley River and in Skuld. Without the ability to reach both locations in force, finding an appropriate weapon against the lich and the Ebon Serpent seems the wiser course of action to me.
Our first step is to reach the Diamond Kingdoms. Axel has traveled much of the continent, even as I, though he is more familiar with Vargild of the two of us. We will travel into Vargild, then to Zweidor via the teleportation circle at the gnomish capital city of Hollivar and from there northward into the Diamond Kingdoms. The teleportation circles will reduce our travel time extensively as we move about the land; I wish I had known of them sooner.
We were barely away from Merrywell when an ambush gave us our first chance to test our mettle together in battle. The very road itself rose up to attack us at the behest of an unknown mage. Jour charged at the monstrous elemental with his heavy lance firmly in hand. Unfortunately, our quiet paladin missed with his initial strike. Axel quickly closed the gap and engaged the creature, only to find it ready and waiting for him. Our doughty halfling received several well-placed blows for his trouble as Kiiren’s arrows flashed across the distance to injure the elemental. From the cover of invisibility a rogue appeared and tried to open the ranger from crotch to throat but was too reckless, slicing only air. I quickly threw up a barrier against evil to ward off the elemental, my efforts hampered by the sudden appearance of falling ice around us. I have not felt cold in years, so the sensation was decidedly novel—and unpleasant. We battled the rogue and the elemental for several seconds, trying to remove one threat or the other, all the while knowing that there was another foe to face. I healed Axel of his grievous wounds even as I felt an unfamiliar and unwelcome presence attempt to invade my mind. Whatever compulsion or charm our foe tried, he quickly found that his spell failed before my superior willpower. The elemental finally fell before my companions’ onslaught as I asked Death for the power to see as She does and was answered. A quick scan of the battlefield revealed our cunning foe was not only invisible but flying among the trees to one side of the road. We began to focus our efforts against the rogue only to find his ally—a gnome sorcerer, as we learned later—conjuring another elemental from the road, quickly followed by a swarm of spiders. Unfortunately for him, the swarm died a fiery death as I called flame from the heavens. I was reluctant to do so, hoping to strike our foe directly, but I could not let him continue to summon allies. The rogue fell, his glowing planetouched eyes growing dim as blades and arrows struck home. With all other foes soon down, we concentrated on the gnome. Jour used his divine gift for judging the souls of the living to narrow down his own search for the sorcerer, while Kiiren launched a fireball and a web at the gnome to slow him down. Before we could fell him, the gnome—Belundel the Dragon-Touched, as I later learned from his deceased accomplice—threw down a bag and fled, flying away at a speed none of us could match and hoping that leaving behind valuable treasure would deter further pursuit.
The gnome’s bag held a variety of items of value from magic to gems—the bag itself is like my own, a bag of holding. We stripped his fallen compatriot and with Kiiren’s help I said Last Rites over the highwayman and buried him. I know that I should have burned the body, but with Jour and Axel exploring a nearby ruin I did not want to separate the group further as I sought sufficient wood for the fire. But before we threw the first shovelful of dirt on the man, I questioned his corpse to make sure that he had no allies that might come looking for him and to find that the two highwaymen had burned the bodies of their victims already. With a heavier heart, we resumed our trip into Vargild.
Gloameet hasn’t changed much since I departed from Vargild months ago, other than the forms have rotated again. Axel knew his way through the bureaucracy well and secured paperwork to expedite our way to Hollivar. Kiiren, I noted, is impatient with bureaucracy—and just about everything else. In many ways he is more impulsive than the humanoids I knew from the frontier. Despite that, we quickly moved along to the capital and secured passage to Zweidor.
In Ardenhold, Axel’s diplomatic skills took an unfortunate turn. The halfling’s irrepressible nature caused a brawl at the tavern where we were attempting to locate a guide for the trip to the Diamond Kingdoms. I warned him that I will not waste resources calling his spirit from Tria’s Womb if he dies in a pointless and needless battle; perhaps that will force him to consider his actions, but I doubt it. Axel worships Sefana as well as Lees—his energetic nature is a perfect match for Sefana’s passion. I suppose that I am similar to Axel in that regard, though it is not Sefana or Lees that I favor. . . .
Kiiren became our negotiator as we located our guide, Ektor Keligsgrad, as only Kiiren knows the Dwarven dialect of our quartet. The dwarf himself was gruff—alike and unlike Edrel, I hope he is doing well—and accompanied by a pair of wolves, easily larger than those I’ve seen in the west of Haven. I had the idea to expedite our trip with magic, but have since learned that there are regions where magic is weakened, runs wild, or is negated—all the result of the Cataclysm, I am sure. Our guide has accordingly insisted on a long list of items for the trip, including potions to heal wounds and protect against the cold, boots such as the pair I wear to ward against the snow, and a mound of cold-weather gear sufficient to survive the frigid north. A quick discussion with the others has led to my current efforts to create some of the magic we need, namely the boots of the winterlands. Kiiren and I are cooperating on this project, as he knows incantations that I do not know that are necessary for the enchantments to succeed. That leaves Axel with Jour to gather the other items Ektor desires for the journey. We agreed to meet our guide once more when the enchanting is done, hopefully prepared for the trip. I hope to commune with Death before we go in an effort to learn more of our enemies’ activities. Hopefully Axel and Jour can find the incense I require in order to find some of the answers we seek; I have the coin to spare, and diamond dust as well, should another commodity be needed. The Ebon Serpent is not the only group with a stake in the game for Sheenosek’s throne, after all.
