Amrhil's page

The hospitality of the Phanatons was certainly enjoyable but we had more work to do. With everyday passing we knew the Crimson Fleet was that much closer to Farshore. I began to wonder if the defense of Farshore would be worth the lives of the two allies we had recruited in the Olman tribes and the Phanatons. This was not their fight and the presence of the colony might be detrimental to them both. Hopefully the cruel nature of this island would always remind them to respect their allies.

The next day we set out to find the temple of the cat people that the Phanatons had told us about. Delving deeper into the jungle I was almost sure we would have to deal with some hungry denizen of the island but as luck would have it we encountered nothing. Traveling through the thick jungle I am again reminded just how different this island is from the areas around Sasserine. One could spend a lifetime exploring the rest of this ancient isle.

Following the direction given to us earlier we come across a ziggurat rising from the jungle floor. The stone structure is quite a sight but it is obviously abandoned as the jungle has already begun to move in to reclaim the land. It is deathly quiet and I wonder how long it had been since the cat people had left their temple. Hopefully not long enough for some other nasty creature to move in.

We carefully make our way to the top of the structure and the climb is not difficult. Looking across the flat top we see several statues. All look to be in pristine condition which seems out of place. Something isn’t right…magic no doubt. Standing back as Moors moves forward to examine one of the stone statues I begin to have thoughts of some terrible trap set for any trying to enter the temple.

Moments later it isn’t a trap we have to worry about but a huge snake! The creature blended in so well with the plant growth beginning to retake the temple that none of saw it before it struck Moors. This in itself wouldn’t be much of a surprise except for this snake is so massive! It’s body is as thick as a huge tree trunk and I could only guess as to its length. Soon Moors was within its coils and the snake would certainly crush him with ease.

Urgur moved forward casting a spell which would allow Moors to slip magically from its coils. Of course then the creature promptly captured Urgur and began to crush the life out him. I had changed shape into the largest creature I could, a huge bear. So I rushed forward casting the same spell on Urgur while at the same time offering myself up as a target. The rest of the combat was thankfully short because I knew I wouldn’t last long under the crushing coils of the huge snake. Between us all the snake was wounded enough that it decided to flee and it was quickly killed after that.

During the combat both Moors and I had discovered that the statues were illusions of some sort. Additionally the center of the ziggurat looked to have some sort of altar but that was also an illusion hiding a large hole in the floor. With no one horribly wounded we ventured into the temple.

The hole was a large shaft that went straight down over fifty feet. At the bottom there was a pool of stagnant water. Further explorations of the shaft revealed a passage in the wall of the shaft. Moors with his agility and gliding skills easily reached the small ledge at the entrance of this passage. I decided to take the easy way down as well by changing into a small bat. Flying down to Moors I perched on his shoulder while we waited for the others. Between Urgur and Balim there was quite an entertaining show as they clumsily made their way down a rope and eventually to the ledge of the passageway. Needless to say Urgur found himself in the water at the bottom of the shaft!

Once we had all made it into the passage we ventured further into the temple. We reached what was likely the center of the temple and encountered a wondrous creature. It was a snake with rainbow colored wings. The creature examined us all and then after a few tense moments began to speak. It turns out this creature was a guardian of the temple and knew much of the cat people.

Not long ago the cat people were made aware of an impending attack by some other force of evil. They worked diligently to create a cache of weapons to aid them in their defense of the temple. Despite their efforts the force of evil came and killed them all during a surprise attack. Now the winged serpent remains the lone occupant of the temple.

I explained our plight and the impending attack on Farshore. Amazingly after convincing the creature our intensions were good he agreed to show us the cache of weapons so that we could use them against the Crimson Fleet. He then bid us farewell and returned to his plane of existence. The numerous weapons were the work of master weapon smiths and a few were magical. They would truly help the forces of Farshore.

“There is no rest for the weary,” I thought to myself as we made our way out of the village of Taneroa and into the vast jungles of the Isle of Dread. The villages had luckily given us fairly good directions so I knew we would have little chance of getting lost. The group was quiet and not much was said. I think we all knew it was only a matter of when not if we would be attacked by some gruesome creature of this isle.

Sure enough not more than half way into the journey we ran into a group of large carnivore dinosaurs. Almost as large as the creature that attacked us when we first set foot on this island these creatures were similar in looks and most likely related in some way. They could easily swallow a man whole and had teeth as large as daggers. I must say they were quite a sight to behold. Luckily this island has hardened us and while the fight was fierce we were able to deal with the creatures without too much trouble.

At the beginning of the third day I knew we should be close to the tar pits so I decided to take a quick look for myself as the rest of the group woke and prepared to break camp. Transforming myself into an eagle I took to the sky. Slowly I gained altitude until I could see the tar pits ahead. As thick as the jungle was in every direction the plains of the tar pits was barren. As I flew closer I began to see all the individual pits of tar and the gases rising from them. Scanning for movement I quickly spotted a group of small creatures near one of the pits. I flew closer to get a better look. The small creatures were vaguely monkey like but their faces resembled raccoons. I realized then this must be the Phanatons we had been told about. I watched them gathering tar and wondered if they would be friendly. Deciding against flying down to greet them I regained some altitude and took a quick fly over of the immediate area. Spotting nothing I returned to the group and after changing back to my human form told them what I saw. We set out immediately.

After a few hours we were very close to the pits and you could smell the boiling tar up ahead. I guessed we would come out of the jungle fairly close to where the Phanatons were and I was focused on how to try and recruit them. Suddenly there the sound of screams came from ahead followed by a huge roar. All of us immediately broke into a run and as I came out of the think jungle my eyes widened. There before us was the largest creature I had yet seen. It looked exactly like the dinosaur which assaulted on the beach but was larger if that was possible. Surrounding it were the small Phanatons desperately trying to defend themselves and escape. Moments later it was pure chaos as we assaulted the dinosaur. I had summoned a large bear and then moments later cast a spell increasing the size of the summoned bear and Fluffy. They assaulted from the rear and Balim and Urgur took the direct approach and attacked the dinosaur from the front. It tried several times to swallow Urgur or Balim but through luck and several well cast spells all escaped its stomach. After inflicting numerous wounds upon the creature it finally fell. I must admit we were lucky that Balim and Urgur escaped with their lives because the creature’s terrible teeth took their toll on both of the warriors.

After the battle died down I could easily see the now dead dinosaur had been the veteran of many battles. His body was scarred and he was missing one of his small upper arms. Part of me was little sad that the great beast which had survived numerous fights to the death had been killed. The Phanatons which had fled returned and treated us as if we were heroes. Eager to communicate with them I was disappointed by the fact that their language was utterly foreign to all of us. Eventually one of them stepped forward and began to speak Olman. Again I was at a loss. I had been trying to learn the language but had not had the time to master it. Luckily we communicated through drawing pictures in the sand. They wanted us to accompany them back to their village and we gladly agreed. We set out for what we assumed was a few days journey to their home. The Phanatons are an excitable and curious bunch. They eagerly wanted to examine all of our weapons and gear. Having little items that would appeal to them I had no issues with their quick hands but I think it made Urgur a little nervous as he wouldn’t let his prized falchion out his grip. I don’t think Dyn was very appreciative either but the rest of the group were thankfully very diplomatic about it.

On the first day of travel Urgur was granted the divine ability to speak with them for a short time. They’re curiosity was made even more obvious as they asked Urgur what seemed like a million questions. They spoke quickly and excitedly far beyond what even Urol could muster when he was particularly excited. We confirmed that indeed they were taking us to their village and we would be honored guests. Any further talk of helping defend Farshore would have to be taken up with their leader. After traveling a couple of days reached the Phanaton village without incident.

We had not been in village very long when the word must have spread about our exploits at the tar pits. The whole village was jubilant and we were treated with great honor. Through the use of Urgur’s spells granted from Kord we were able to talk to the leader of the Phanatons as they prepared a great feast for us. We found out that dinosaur we had slain had been menacing the tar pits for some time and had claimed many Phanatons in the past. We had done a great service in the eyes of the Phanaton leader and he told us that they would gladly help with the defense of Far Shore. We also asked about the cat people we had heard legends about. He confirmed the legend and told us that a temple of theirs was close and they could lead us to it. What luck! He told us the cat people were great warriors but had died out some time ago.

I enjoyed the feast immensely as many exotic fruits were brought before us to eat. Although the most entertaining moment was when they brought out a few dishes which included bugs of various sorts. The look on Dyn’s face was worth the trip!

The village became strangely quiet moments after the last of the fire creatures was destroyed. Still in the shape of a large tiger I looked around rapidly to see if any of the bats remained. But there were none. I regained my natural form and took a few steps forward to look at the remains of one of the fire creatures we had just killed. Even though the creature was quite dead the heat from its body still was intense.

Then movement to my right caught my attention and I saw Dyn move forward to retrieve the idol he had tossed. I asked why he had thrown the idol. Placing the idol back in pack he explained that somehow through the use of the idol he could understand what the bat god totem had said seconds before exploding and he thought that somehow the idol would appease the native’s fire god.

We hadn’t long to ponder this when the villages started to come out from hiding. They were obviously happy with our intervention. I thought that this might be just the thing to convince them to help with our defense of Farshore and soon an old woman approached us. She was a respected elder among her people and more importantly she could speak our language.

Asking her what had happened she explained that their fire god was unhappy with them. Something had been stolen from this god. All attempts to appease him had failed. Deciding that it was best to get to the point I then explained why we were there and asked for the villagers’ aid. She seemed agreeable to helping us but told us that they could do nothing until their troubles with the fire god had been resolved. They were fearful that soon one of the volcanoes on the island would erupt destroying the village. Apparently two nearby volcanoes were sacred places to this god. She asked if we could somehow help them.

Instantly I think most of us thought of the idol and Dyn started to show them the object. Startled for a moment I gathered the group away from the villagers and explained that even though the idol couldn’t have anything to do with this island we shouldn’t go waiving it around. Coming back to the elder I told her we would do what we could to help them. Asking her for a guide she found a villager to show us the way to the fire god’s holy place.

The journey to the base of the volcano only took a few hours and the short trip was uneventful other than the occasional whimpering of guide who was very nervous. Once he had brought us to the path leading up around the outside of the mountain he ran back into the jungle and toward Tanaroa. We then went on alone, traveling the ancient path up the mountain. The several hour climb was relatively quiet with only the occasional rumble of the mountain to remind us of where we were. We then reached a passageway leading into the volcano. The heat from the tunnel was intense so I cast a protective spell upon Fluffy and myself. Dyn cast something to protect himself as well.

The journey through the passage was arduous for those who had no protection from the intense heat. Moors under all that fur didn’t seem to be fairing to well. Luckily the long passage finally ended into what appeared to be a small place of worship for the bat god. A huge statue depicting this bat god of fire along with what appeared to be a niche to leaving offerings was directly across from us and to the left it looked as if the interior of the volcano was not far off. Moors had only taken a few steps into the room when what appeared to be a servant of the god appeared.

This creature which looked exactly like the depictions of the villager’s fire god told us that something stolen from the god must be returned. I held my breath as Moors then placed the statue in the niche near the statue. Luckily this appeased the being. He then explained we could take something in return. We quickly discovered the statue was hiding a secret entrance to a small cave which held many things of great value. We were told what all the items were and then asked to pick one and leave. It almost seemed as if fate had brought us there for many of the items were magical and seemed to have been placed there just for us. Unfortunately it was too good to be true as we could only take one item. Deciding on one the most powerful and most portable items we took a magical ring which allowed the user to become invisible. We then left quickly so as not to incur the wrath of the creature.

Making our way back to the village the old woman somehow knew that we had succeeded. Now the villagers would now gladly help in the defense of Farshore and all we would need to do is signal them in advance of the attack so that they could gather their warriors. The grateful villagers then proceeded to have a large celebration in our honor. I enjoyed Tanaroa’s hospitality and during the course of the evening I was able to ask a few questions of the elder.

First I asked if they knew of the tar pits and if it would be safe to send people to gather tar. She explained they rarely ventured there and had no use for the stuff. She knew of no specific threats. Second I asked of the small monkey like people we had been told of. She also knew of them but very little else. She did say if we traveled to the tar pits we might run into some of them as they used the tar for their homes. Lastly I asked about the cat men warriors who had vanished from the island and their temples which supposed held great stores of powerful weapons. Of this she knew nothing.

So it looks as if we will be headed to tar pits next. I have little doubt that like all the other parts of this island we will encounter something deadly there but I do look forward to visiting such a fascinating place.

As I sat there waiting for the interrogation of our pirate to yield information I contemplated the overwhelming hatred of pirates and their ilk which seemed to be tied up in a view of good versus evil or right versus wrong. Pirates were not that much unlike wolves that preyed on the weak and easiest prey. They culled weakness from the other animal groups and so were valuable in keeping the natural balance. Yes most of them were rather undesirable and I suppose when it came to ‘civilization’ the laws of nature just didn’t apply.

My contemplation didn’t last too long as it seemed the direct method of interrogation was not working with the man. No matter how much Balim or Urgur huffed and puffed the man wasn’t giving them anything. Wisely Lavinia intervened and said maybe a different approach a more diplomatic approach was needed. Between Lavinia and myself we convinced the man, Lefty as he was called due to a missing left hand, that it was in his best interest to help us. I told him I would make sure he did not die due to overzealous townspeople. Strangely enough Lefty was rather logical about things and began to tell us what he knew.

Apparently the Crimson Fleet has taken an interest in Farshore. They wish to capture the outpost and use it as a base of operation it seems. Lefty and the rest of his group were hired by the Crimson Fleet to scout out Farshore’s defenses and report back. Apparently Lefty’s leader did not follow orders well and decided to take up assaulting the town. As far as Lefty can remember the Crimson Fleet will return in about two months to carry out the assault on Farshore.

Soon after Lefty had told us what he knew Avener’s uncle, arrived to “take charge”. He then began with ordering the execution of Lefty. Now I will agree the man is a wretch but I had given him my word and I was not about to break it lightly. We argued for a few moments and eventually he backed down. I can see he will likely be a thorn in the side of anyone attempting to lead the people of this outpost. We will have to watch the Meravanchi’s very closely.

The next day of course the entire outpost was buzzing with the news of the impending attack. Long discussions were made on how best to defend Farshore. The obvious choices of improving the harbor defenses, the watchtowers, the palisade and the militia were easy to recognize but difficult to implement. Lack of proper building supplies would be a problem. In addition to the obvious several other course of action were brought up. Our group, the Steel Dragons, decided to pursue one of these and travel to the village of Taneroa to hopefully enlist the aid of the natives. This would likely be a tough sell to them but hopefully their fear and hatred of pirates would be a useful tool.

The next day we were transported to the village through Dyn’s magic and arriving we found we had come in the middle of some type of religious ceremony. The center of the ceremony appeared to be an effigy of their bat god, at least that is what the thing looked like. Deciding to wait patiently, as we needed these people as allies, something seemed to go wrong with the ceremony. The bat god totem exploded into flames and from the flames flew forth bats made of fire. As the villagers panicked and ran one was set upon by one of the bats and he died writhing in flames.

Before we entered into combat with the creatures Dyn did a curious thing. He reached into his gear and brought out the golden idol we had found in the lost Olman city of Tamoachan. Then he threw the idol toward the bats! Before I could ask what on Oerth he was doing the bats attacked. The fight didn’t last long and none were seriously hurt but I then had some questions for our wizard!

Time to catch up on my journal. Was never very diligent about this sort of thing but I will try harder in the future as the events occurring seem to begin to take on more meaning.

I will be brief about the journey through the caves where I left off. Through exploration of the caves we discovered it contained a shrine to the demon lord that Urgur mentioned earlier. There were quite a few guardians including more of the demons as well as other abyssal terrors. I almost perished to a horde of strange demonic baboons. Luckily we were strong enough for this test and we emerged from the caves.

Our triumph over the demons inside did come at a price. Unfortunately we lost the young boy Tavey. He was slain by Orlangru, the leader of the demons, in what was most likely a horrible death. His demise hit Urgur the hardest as he had taken to the boy. Urgur decided he would take the boy’s remains in hopes of bringing the boy back from the dead. It seemed that the boy had suffered enough but Urgur would not listen to reason. I kept quiet as I doubted I would convince Urugur he was better off rejoining the cycle of life. All of the rest had survived but Amella had lost an arm. I think all three will carry the horrors of their captivity by the demons for the rest of their life.

The battle against the outsiders had renewed my resolve to do my best to rid Oerth of the influence of outsiders and thankfully with our destruction of the shine the strange corrupting mist dissipated and it appears the jungle with slowly return to normal. Could this green mist be related or similar to the mist emitted from the black pearl back at the hidden cove? If so is this demon lord Urgur speaks of behind it all? Hopefully more answers will come.

Upon regaining our strength we resumed our travels to Farshore. The journey through the jungle did not prove too difficult. We were attacked by some large raptors but they were little match for our magic and blades. Soon we reached a native village. It was definitely refreshing to be among people tied much closer to nature. I am a little frustrated at my inability to communicate with them and I might ask Urol to teach me their language. There was some talk about staying awhile before moving on to Farshore but Urgur using magic contacted our employer, Lavinia. We all thought or suspected her ship and all aboard it must have been lost at sea but amazingly they had made it to the colony. With the knowledge she was there and the fact that we were only a day’s travel away we decided to press on to Farshore.

The Farshore colony is on a smaller island just off the coast of the Isle of Dread and we made our way there by native boats. It did not take us long to find Lavinia and she seemed genuinely happy to see us. She had thought we had perished and by all rights we should have. After telling her about our journey she gave us some long overdue pay and told us to make ourselves at home in Farshore. After a short rest several of us began helping with the day to day activities of the colony. Urgur had already started working on erecting a temple for Kord. Dyn had learned of a spell he could use to transport himself in an instant great distances and soon was making frequent visits to Sasserine.

It seemed as if the misfortune which swirled around us for so many months was gone and we might have time for more mundane things. That illusion was shattered as we returned one day from an expedition to gather building supplies. Upon returning to the village we found much of it in flames and pirates running amok.

Being used to such travails we sprang into action. I commanded Fluffy to attack one of the pirates trying to assault a woman and like a streak he was off. Deciding the others could handle the rest of the pirates I decided to summon a being from the elemental plane of water. It would easily be able to handle the fires. As I began the chant to bring it forth I saw Dyn cast his spell which launches a ball of fire. I did not want to break my spell so all I could do is watch in horror as the ball of flames streaked toward a group of pirates near the town’s shrine. Thankfully Dyn was able to control the explosion somewhat and none of the townspeople were burned by the flames. He did catch a few buildings on fire though. I was a little angry at the casual use of such destructive force but it seems Dyn has little regard for control. Urgur rushed forward to help a dying man and when the flames from the explosion died down I could see most of the pirates were dead.

After bringing one of the elementals to our plane it quickly started dispatching the flames and so I started summoning another one. Between the two elementals the fires were quickly controlled and the rest of the group dispatched the remaining pirates including what was undoubtedly their leader. There were a few deaths of colonists but it could have been a lot worse had we not arrived when we did. The buildings could be repaired and with the demise of the pirates we had gained a pirate ship. Not surprisingly Moors has already began to talk excitedly about it and I’m sure he will be going over every inch of it in the next few days.

Later Lavinia arrived and told us that she and the Jade Ravens had beat off a similar group of pirates attacking another side of the colony. Luckily they had captured one of the pirates. We are going to interrogate him and hopefully find out more information about this attack. I just hope that neither Urgur or Dyn kill the wretch before we learn as much as possible.

After many days traveling along the seashore we made it back into the jungle again. At first I was happy about the change in scenery. Out on the cliff face we were constantly exposed with little or no protection. The jungle while dangerous provides food and resources should we need them. But after a day or so traveling the jungle became twisted and corrupted. The source of the corruption appeared to be a green mist or fog. Obviously supernatural in nature we decided getting through it as quickly as possible would be the best choice.

Later we came upon a native which had been killed and reanimated. Warning us about his master and our impending doom the animated corpse told us little else. I was relieved when Urgur dispatched the creature and another perversion of the natural order was erased. We then made camp and settled in for the evening. During the middle of the night large fanged monkeys came and grabbed the young boy Tavey and Urol. Before we had a chance to free the two the monkeys disappeared into thin air. Luckily the next night I was on watch when the creatures appeared again. One attempted to abduct Fluffy but was thwarted. Avner however was taken in the attack. Later we discovered grisly evidence that the captives were in grave danger when we discovered Tavey’s hand placed in our possessions.

Urgur prayed for divine guidance and was told to seek out the source of the evil mist. He also communicated magically with Tavey. Apparently the young boy was being tortured. All he could tell Urgur was he was in stone walls. At first I thought this task would be easy. I would shape change fly high above the canopy of the jungle and find the source of the mist then guide the group there. Unfortunately the foul green mist prevented me from reaching much higher than the tops of the trees. Using spells which allowed him to detect sources of evil Urgur could follow a trail to the source of the mist. We rapidly made our way through the jungle.

We came upon the source of the mist we came upon a couple of caves. The rock was carved into the likeness of two baboon heads. Urgur told us that this was the symbol of a very powerful demon lord. This made sense as Urgur also had thought that the other monkeys were also demons of some type. We took a few minutes to prepare ourselves and then made our way into the caves in the hopes of saving Tavey, Urol and Avner.

How I long to be roaming through the familiar jungles near Sasserine. I know that this journey was something required of me by my master but I've grown tired of being on alert every moment of every day. Nothing is normal here and every day seems to be stranger than the next.

As we traveled down the seaside cliff road we came upon a man dressed in a peculiar fashion. I guess he was a native but I know little of these things. We approached hoping to make peace with the man but before we reached him he slit his own throat and threw himself from the cliff. As we kept traveling more bizarre things occurred. Food was stolen. Strange dolls were left lying not far from where we slept arranged like a miniature version of our camp. Finally some of us saw the ghosts of our former ship crew. They spoke of betrayal. Waiting for the next puzzling event to happen I was almost relieved when strange stone creatures attacked us. They seemed to be living statues. We dispatched them quickly with little incident.

Again I wonder why anyone would want to live on this accursed isle.

This land is fascinating but extremely mysterious and deadly. Our journey toward a mountain pass has continued to be plagued by the giant flightless birds attacking us. They are an interesting species and if I had the resources it would be interesting to study them. While the birds are magnificent hunters and most likely close to the top of the food chain here they are nonetheless natural creatures. The constant attacks did worry me somewhat as they are against what I would expect. It almost seems as if something is driving them toward us and so again it appears something has bent its will agains our group.

The journey to the mountain pass was interrupted by a rather unusual encounter. As we journey we came upon a long abandoned village covered in spider webs. I had assumed some large specimens of spiders had come to occupy the settlement. We were all surprised to find a old woman calling herself Lithira. Dyn spoke to her in the fairy tongue. She wanted to know of the outside world and it was likely she had never been off this isle. Many of the group were happy to oblige and told her many stories. At the end she gave us a warning that we should stay on our path but to be wary as four eyes watched us. As we were trying to understand her cryptic warning she changed into a large spider and disappeared off into the webs. Most thought little of the encounter but it seems my fears were true. Someone or something of great power is working against us.

We continued onto the mountain pass upon reaching the pass we found blocking our way a nest of the flightless birds. I tried to convince the group we should go around the nest but most didn't want to make any effort to avoid combat. I realize the constant attacks have jaded them but the indiscriminate slaughter of these creatures just seemed to make no sense to me. But I am one of a group and in the end I could not persuade them to take a less confrontational route. Wiping them out we discovered quite a few eggs which the group took greedily. Again I am confronted by the 'civilized' races attitude exploiting nature. What am I to do? I understand now how some in my order believe that fighting civilization is the only solution.

We entered the mountain pass which was really a tunnel through the mountain and travelled quite a distance. I was still brooding on the slaughter of the birds before I noticed that something just beyond the edge of our light was watching us. Informing the others we proceeded cautiously. Reaching a door at the end of the tunnel we proceeded further.

Beyond the door was a tomb of some sort most likely built by the native people of this island. We encountered some truly amazing specimens of centipedes. They were enormous! Then we encountered a strange black blob. The creature gave us quite a scare when it had almost dissolved Urgur's and Balim's weapons and armor. Using fire magic Dyn and I destroyed the creature and luckily no one was seriously hurt. Venturing further we came upon the actual tomb and after discovering a secret door we found a sarcophagus which most likely held a key to our continuing beyond the tomb.

When the lid of the sarcophagus was touched we were attacked by several undead creatures. The creatures were certainly of dark magic and their vary presence had horrible effects on some of us. The ensuing battle almost claimed the lives of Dyn and Moors. Luckily my skill at changing shape allowed me to move quickly and save them from death. When the battle was finally over and the creatures dead husks lay at our feet we were exhausted, wounded and weak.

After resting we opened the sarcophagus and found the key to escaping this tomb. Opening the door we were outside again! We then continued our travels along a high cliff side path or road as per the map of Urol. As we journey from the tomb we all realized we had been plagued by some disease given to us by the undead creatures. All except Dyn in our group had been affected. Urgur and I were granted spells to remove the disease but the spells had no affect! Urgur had been hit particularly hard by the sickness and after examining him I realized what was afflicting us. My master had told me of undead creatures known as mummies. Created from the mumfied remains of a humanoid these horrible undead carried a magical disease. To cure the disease one needed to break the enchantment or curse protecting the disease. Thanks to Kord Urgur was granted spells to cure us all.

Now we journey on and I hope that things will get easier for the group but I already suspect otherwise as we have now had some strange encounters with natives and the ghosts of our crew.

It doesn't seem that long ago when I had boarded the Sea Wyvern in the port of Sasserine. We were to set sail in only a few hours and the docks and ship were a blur of activity.

I typically don't find man made things of much beauty but on that day the Sea Wyvern truly looked magnificient. A far cry from the derelict ship we found in the secret pirate cove a few weeks before. New sail, fresh paint, and a good cleaning had made her sea worthy. Whereas before she was almost like a ghost ship with no crew, now she had men running up and down her deck preparing for sea and loading cargo all under the direction of the Captain Amella. Barking out orders to her man I had little doubt she could handle the ship.

Moving out of the way of some stevedores I looked down into the hold they were filling. All manner of supplies to be shipped to Farshore our destination including tools and manufactured goods of all types, raw materials, food and all sorts of items an isolated colony would need. I began to imagine what this hold would be filled with from the Isle of Dread on her return voyage.

My daydreaming was snapped by the incessant whining of one of the passengers, the fopish nobleman Avener. He treated his servants badly but they seemed to have been conditioned to take the verbal abuse from the man. That reminded me there would be passengers. I looked forward to meeting them and getting to know them. I wondered what would make them take such a journey. What motivations did they have? Wealth, adventure or just a new life? This brought me full circle back to my comrades and I. Why were we undertaking such a long a dangerous voyage? I know each of us had our reasons. Some like other passengers were looking for adventure and wealth and some had a desire to serve our former benefactor Lavinia. My reasons were much more esoteric. I needed to find out where the black pearl Vanthus had unleased upon the secret pirate cove came from and find out if there were any more. In my heart I knew by following Lavinia I would eventually find Vanthus.

What a difference a few months at sea make! We did make it to the Isle of Dread but a huge storm pushed us off course from Farshore and we were shipwrecked on another part of the island. Now our once fine sailing ship has been dashed upon rocks within a stones throw from the shore. I wonder if she will ever sail the sea again. Most of the crew has died along the journey and now only the Captain and her lowly cabin boy remain. All of our supplies have been strewn across the bottom of the ocean. Sadly only two of the original group of passengers remain. Ironically the two that have survived, Avner the noble and the gnome Urol would have been the two I expected to perish. Finally even the Steel Dragons did not make the journey unscathed. We lost two of our members. The diminutive flea died in the lost Olman city and Kavin had smartly decided he had had enough and stayed on shore on one of our stops.

The Isle of Dread seems to be named which was probably earned by this land. Since we got on shore we have been attack by a dozen creatures. Pool Tavey, the cabin boy, will probably not be able to sleep well for awhile. As we make our way to Farshore one can only hope there are no more losses to deal with.

It is truly fascinating and at the same time horrifying how creatures from and portals to the outer planes change the natural order of Oerth. I am beginning to think that our entrapment here was just another step in my journey to find the source of disturbance in the natural order.

Our journey into the Sargasso to find the source of this unnatural bed of seaweed was relatively uneventful. I had prepared myself to face the plant creatures with spells I would normally shudder to cast but it appears they will be necessary on this journey. Having encountered the strange zombie like plant men the night before I was worried that the journey toward the heart of the Sargasso would be difficult. I imagined a hoard of the creatures would be blocking our way. Luckily this was not the case and the only thing we encountered along the way was the prescience of strange voices. They seemed familiar yet very alien. I knew this had to be the 'mother' we were seeking. As we approached an older ship in the middle of the increasingly darker almost black field of seaweed the voices intensified. I knew we had found what we were seeking.

We made our way onto to the ship a few more of the plant creatures assaulted us but we were ready and dispatched them quickly. The voices were now very loud and slightly maddening. It took a great deal of concentration to block them out and as we methodically search the ship I grew impatient. As we made our way down to the bottom deck we found the source of the unnatural plants. A huge hole was in the bottom of the ship and led down much farther than the water line outside. It appeared to be a portal to another plane. Moments later a huge plant creature arose from the hole. It was definitely alien in origin but a plant all the same. With our spells at the ready we slew the creature mercifully quick. Had we given it time to assault us who knows if we would have lived through the experience.

This creature makes me believe all the more that our black pearl is somehow extra planer in origin or manufacture. Only the planes beyond Oerth can twist nature so horribly.

Is this voyage cursed? It is a question that most of the crew has pondered many times on this voyage. I'm not sure what the rest of the Steel Dragons think, but I don't typically place much stock in such things. However it does seem as though something has bent its will against us reaching our destination and several have lost their life on this voyage including one of our group. Could this be related somehow to the horrible green mist we encountered in the pirate cove? It is too soon to tell.

Our foray into the ruins of the Olmec was quite dangerous. We fought several unnatural creatures and in return found very little in treasure much to the dismay of Lens. For an Elf he seems very atypical of his kind but then again my experience with Elves is pretty limited. The trip came at great cost as we lost the Halfling Flee. Seeing the death of someone you know is never easy but I think I am beginning to become numb from such things.

Since then we have had several minor set backs including an attack by a hydra, dealing with pirates and navigating through treacherous seas. Of course our latest problem has us at a standstill literally. We have come upon an enormous patch of sea vegetation which has our boat in its grasp. I have heard of such things but upon our further investigation I can only come to the conclusion something very unnatural is going on here. We can literally walk across the vegetation as if it were solid ground! It appears that many ships have been snared by this web of green sea weed. We have discovered that those who have perished here somehow come back as plant creatures and something is driving them to attack us I fear. We will be venturing off into the heart of this sea of plants to find the source of this unnatural and malevolent enemy.

My first journal entry! I thought I would have gotten to this much sooner but learning how to help sail a ship is very time consuming. I think I’ve not gotten the hang of things and have become a reasonable help on this ship. As for our trip it hasn’t been quiet that is for sure…where to start.

Well, not long after we set out we ran into some savages who had apparently killed a woman and child. Fortunately for us we were on our boat at the time and made short work of them. Later we ran into some type of ooze which if not for the quick thinking of Kavin would have certainly killed me. On top of all that we had a stowaway on board trying to kill us. She was the sister of the leader of the lotus dragons whom we had killed. Needless to say she had caused monster attacks, poisoning, accidents and who knows what else. I only wish we had been able to interrogate her a little. Unfortunately Urgur cleaved the woman in two.

Tomorrow we venture to the lost city of Tamoachan. Apparently they are some old Olmec ruins in the jungle. Could be interesting as we are expecting to run into a basilisk. Remote ruins seem to attract the worst creatures. Still a trip through the jungle will do Fluffy and myself some good.

I guess I should say a little bit about my companions. We call ourselves the Steel Dragons. Not sure I care much for the name but in the end it doesn’t matter much. Let me see well there is Moors, a Hadrozee sailor. Definitely happy to be at see again that one is. He seems to be rather good natured and takes care of himself in a fight. Next comes Kavin the sorcerer. He is quiet but agreeable for the most part. Like most sorcerers he flings about magical energies with ease. Next comes Urgur the half-orc priest of Kord. What can I say about Urgur? Strong as a bull and almost always means well. He is a little slow to pick up on everything but there are few I would rather have with me in a fight. Then we have Dyn the elven mage. Like most elves he is a little haughty and doesn’t have the patience to deal with just anyone. His studies of the arcane however have proven invaluable. Last of all is Flea. Not sure where he comes from because his accent is very hard to place. Trained in strange techniques and arcane lore he is very interesting to watch in action.

There is not much to say about the rest of the passangers. Most are decent people but I must admit I know very little about them. I spend almost all of my time above deck helping with the ship. If I know little about the people on our ship I know almost know one on Lavinia’s. I’ve met most of them but have had little chance to speak with them. The Jade Raven’s, another adventuring group, are aboard that ship. While their defacto leader, Tolin, is an ass the rest of their group seem decent enough. In fact on the few occasions I have had to spend time with Lymae she has been rather enjoyable and I dare say she seems to have taken a liking to me. It is a shame we are on separate ships.

Well that is enough for today. When we return from the lost city I will try to remember to write down what we found.

Master Goodwin,

I must admit I am a bit rushed to get this letter finished to send off to you. I leave tomorrow on a long sea voyage for the Isle of Dread. Before I go I must tell you about I have discovered as it may be the source of your terrible dreams.

Our group, who by now has taken the name Steel Dragons, made our way to a secret cove in pursuit of Vanthus. What we discovered there has haunted my dreams since. People and animals alike had been twisted into horribly mutated forms and their very nature had changed into a voracious and savage beast. We found out the hard way that this disease could be passed from one creature to the next by way of receiving bites from the infected creature. Alas, Barkley had succumbed to this terrible fate. I would have grieved longer for my dear companion but the perils we faced in that cove allowed me to focus my thoughts elsewhere. In the end one of our group had been infected and another who was searching for his sister found what was left of her after being ravaged by this disease. While we were able to find healing for a friend the poor sister had to be put out of her misery.

This is what we were able to discover regarding the disease. The source was a black pearl which broke open to expel a green gas. Most of those who came into contact with the gas contracted the disease and the rest either died by the hands of those who had succumbed to the disease or contracted the disease itself. The disease apparently slowly transforms a person. They get increasingly feral only desiring flesh. I fear that animals who are much closer to the base instinct of savage hunger succumb much quicker. Once the mind has gone the body must follow and the infected creature is twisted to a strange mutated form. Lastly an infected creature upon death instantly explodes in a shower of acid! All this leads me to believe that this pearl was created by something or someone but the very nature of the disease seems far beyond the scope of man. Could this be the meddling of some savage god or perhaps an outsider bent on the destruction on Oerth? I know little beyond this but I see this is a cause worthy of pursuing to its bitter end. While I would not normally be so quick to worry about an affliction which would thin the numbers of man kind this disease does not discriminate.

Unfortunately there are no further leads at the moment. So for lack of any better way to pursue the matter I have decided to stay close to Lavinia hoping her brother may rear his head again and I may interrogate him. This brings me to my trip to the Isle of Dread. Apparently Lavinia’s parents had started a colony on the island in the hopes of bring back exotic items for sale in Sasserine. While I’m not too keen with the plunder of virgin wilderness I will go along in her efforts to support the colony. I will of course make sure that any settlement there is making efforts to keep in harmony with the land.

As I will be gone this will be my last letter for some time. I will try to remember to keep a journal so that I won’t have trouble recalling any of the events of my journey. Maybe once I return we can both pursue the mystery of the black pearl.

Sincerely,

Amrhil

My dear Master Goodwin,

I hope these letters are reaching you as I had a hard time finding someone willing to take them all the way to the grove deep in the rainforest. Hopefully the few extra gold I spent was worth it.

As I had previously told you I had obtain gainful employment with a Miss Lavinia. After we had 'liberated' some items on her ship she asked us to accompany her to her parents vault in the city. Upon opening the vault we discovered that someone has stolen much of her inheritance. She was rather crestfallen.

She then asked us to help find her brother, Vanthus. After we had asked around we were approached by a man who claimed he knew where the man was. We accompanied the man to a small island in the bay and were led to an underground complex. We entered but unfortunately for us and more so to our guide Vanthus had set up a trap for us. He trapped us in the caves beneath the surface of the isle. We encountered some of the unliving and though it seemed like a lifetime down in the dank caverns we made our escape. During our time under the island we discovered that Vanthus had double crossed an associate who before dying left a message giving us details as to where we could find our newfound enemy. Needless to say may were eager to exact revenge for his attempt to kill us.

The message mentioned a group known as the lotus dragons. Apparently Vanthus joined this 'gang' and had obviously fallen in with a rather different crowd than his sister. We agreed to investigate the matter for her. After some of the others more attuned to the city life did some investigating we were told of a place to start our search. Our starting point on this foray was a taxidermist’s shop. We didn’t have much luck with the proprietor which was rather unfortunate for him as he was decapitated by one of our group. The bloody start of this adventure proved to be a foretelling sign as two of our group died fighting the members of the lotus dragons.

I know that you have always taught me that death is just part of the cycle of life but it is difficult to keep that in perspective. We didn’t have much time to dwell on the death of our comrades however which in hindsight was probably a good thing. In the end we discovered the woman running the gang and dispatch her. She tried to negotiate with us but with the death of two friends fresh in our minds I don’t think she had much of a chance.

While we did the city a great favor by ridding it of a well organized criminal group we did not find Vanthus. However we did find rather grim news for his sister. It appears that Vanthus was responsible for his own parent’s death all to collect inheritance. On top of that he had written where he would be striking next…a secret cove not far from the city. Lavinia in her anger had then asked us to bring Vanthus to justice and soon after that we left to catch up to the wayward brother.

Well I must go. We are very busy outfitting our ship. I will tell you all about it soon.

Your student always,

Amrhil

My dear Master Goodwin,

I must apologize for my lack of letters since I left the Grove but you know I was never fond of writing. I hope you are well and things are as I left them.

I suppose you are wondering how I am doing and for the most part I have been well. I'm almost getting used to the city. I realize I spent most of my youth here but coming back here was like traveling to a different land. People will talk about the chaos of nature but it is nothing compared to the strange energy contained within the walls of a city.

As for my adventures here hmmm...where to start. I guess the beginning is as good as any. Well it wasn't a week after I arrived that I had received an invitation to a noblewoman's house. I guess those letters you had me deliver were more than just correspondance. Her name was Lavinia Vanderboren and she wanted to hire a group of us to help her reclaim her estate and the wealth that went with it. While I have never been one to worry about such things I decided to go along because as you have said it is not the destination but the journey from which you learn things.

The group then consisted of a variety of individuals each from varying backgrounds. There were a couple of priests, a sailor, a streetwise rougish lad and a sorcerer. We completed the first task given to us by Miss Lavinia which was to search and recover her parents personal effects from her ship which was impounded. It appears the impounding was done for more nafarious reasons and they were most likely using the vessel to smuggle rare animals. There was a most maginificient spider like creature aboard something the likes of I've never seen. Unfortunately we had no choice but to kill the poor creature as it had been driven mad by hunger and captivity I suspect.

Well my hand tires but I will send you another letter as soon as I can for soon my companions and I ship out for a long sea voyage but I will tell you about that later.

Your student,

Amrhil

Just wanted to test the waters again for adding voice chat. I know a few of you are skeptical. What are the cons?

I am in agreement with using voice chat as well. It just seems we would get more done. I do realize it will change the flavor of the game but in the interest of getting more out of our weekly sessions I think it is a good trade off.

I guess we'll pass on voice and stay with chat, which is fine with me. Nice journal entry, Dalamiir!

Sorry for jumping in on this discussion super late but it seems to me it might speed up the game a little. I guess I'm in the minority on this but I know there are times things slow way down because we are asking out of character questions, discussing plans, etc. I'm good with whatever but anything to increase the speed of our sessions would be welcome. I guess I'm still getting used to the speed of an online game vs. face to face.

Amrhil Taltos's History

Amrhil was born in the Sunrise district of Sasserine to plantation workers. He was the fifth child of seven and while his parents were poor he rarely went without food or other bare necessities. During the days Amrhil was looked after by his oldest sister. Because she was also looking after his other 5 brothers and sisters soon after he was able to walk he spent most of his early childhood in the Sunrise district of the city. He could be found most days enjoying himself in Standing Stone Park. The wonderful plants and animals fascinated him.

As he grew older he grew bored with the city and he ventured outside the city to explore the countryside. He became more and more at home out in the wilderness and found himself in trouble many times because he would spend the entire night out. He also became fascinated by the tale of an old hermit who lived out in the wilderness. Some say the man had been living there for hundreds of years other laughed at the stories and said he didn't exist at all. Amhril was determined to find him and spent almost a year searching for the hermit.

Finally after he started to believe the tale weren't true Amhril found him. With some tall tales there is an element of truth and this was no exception. Goodwin was a druid who tended to an ancient druidic ceremonial site far outside the city. Impressed that the boy had found him Goodwin invited the Amrhil in to his home and answered all the questions Amrhil had.

Goodwin laughed at first when Amrhil asked if he was hundreds of year old. While Goodwin was very old he had only been there the past 45 years. Goodwin explained that a druid had been tending to this site since the city of Sasserine was founded and he just happened to be the current caretaker. He went on to explain that he was a druid and told Amrhil of their beliefs. After a long talk Amrhil returned home that night thinking about everything Goodwin had told him. He returned to Goodwin many times and eventually asked if he could be trained as Goodwin's successor. Goodwin told Amrhil he would train him the druidic ways and soon after Amrhil went to live with Goodwin.

He spent several years with Goodwin learning all that the old man had to teach and eventually he was taught how to cast spells. He was a natural. Not long after he had mastered all the spells within his power Goodwin told him what the next step in his training was: going back to the city of Sasserine. Amrhil was in utter disbelief. He couldn't understand what the city would be able to teach him but Goodwin told him that there were three reasons for his return. First, he needed to learn how men depend and use nature so that he could find ways in which both man and nature could come together in harmony. Second, he needed to face challenges and learn from them so that he could gain power. The final and most important reason was due to some visions Goodwin had. He did not explain exactly what they were saying only that any vision could be misinterpreted but that something terrible could possibly fall upon the city and the land around it. He also said that Amrhil was predestined to have some part in the events which either led up to the tragedy or the prevention of such a tragedy.

Amrhil left feeling very confused for the first time in a long time. He returned to visit his parents and then made his way about the city hoping that whatever destiny had in store for him he would find that path soon.