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From the notes of Arlyxannah Thanh:

A slight failure in calculations resulted in a tenuous situation during our battle. While the flamboyant worshipper of Sarenrae ignored me for my more threatening companions, I was surrounded by some cultists(1) and canines(1). Statistical data supports that the cultist would be my prime target and his wounds were near fatal but my rate of success in damaging him further was almost so improbable it deserves further study. Added to my inability to hit and the canine’s ability to disrupt my natural capacity to stand upright, I became intimately familiar with the ground. That is to say, I fell down. A lot.

One by one my companions killed the remaining worshippers and canines. I continued to take notes from my prone position.

It would not be incorrect to say the battle was a humbling experience. With depleted resources the group went back outside to regain our energy and confidence. Tomorrow we start again.

My dearest love,

It has been too long since we have spoken with words or touch. At the time of my last correspondence we hobgoblins had been framed for Wide Olga’s death. Much has developed since.

Wide Olga’s body had been respectfully laid to rest in Oyster Cay by clerics of Besmara. While we hesitated to disturb her final resting place, we could not endure the false accusation that we had killed our dear friend. We dispelled an alarm on the tomb and Marqua was able to get a bone pieces from Wide Olga and Havalas Grudd. We returned to the Isle and brought Olga back to our world. She confirmed it was that scoundrel Badger Medlar who called upon dark powers to defeat Wide Olga and her ex-husband. She reported three demons appeared and then she swiftly passed. She knows no more than this and us bringing her back.

Badger is now in command of Oyster Cay and we suspect she and the Hurricane King are on the same side. While at Oyster Cay we were told Badger had a throne we recognized from Mancatcher Cove as cursing a person with an obsession for conquering. Upon closer inspection we could see it was a false artifact that gave no benefit to the owner and left it to lead Badger to her ruin. It is said Badger retrieved the Throne of Nalt for the Hurricane King.

Wide Olga wanted to travel to gather reinforcements to help take back Oyster Cay. Before she left, we hosted her on our island. One day we were visited by a familiar face and six arms. The marilith Oknarok had summoned to assassinate Harrigan had come to take prize on Oknarok’s bounty. The history between them was not forgotten, but in the end we triumphed.

I am no bard but to convey the tale of love that dares to rival ours, I have written and attached a dramatized telling of Oknarok and Queen Bezubar’s relationship.

Yours,
Malikor

*****

The First (and Last)Time Bezubar Saw Oknarok
By Malikor of the Crashing Horde, Cleric of Moloch

The first time Queen Bezubar saw Captain Oknarok was the first time she was told to help someone other than Zura. She had been unimpressed. He was short and green and bald but his willingness to sacrifice innocent life for his own gain hinted at something more under the hobgoblin exterior. Bezubar, used to serving no one else, now had a goal she could not deny. All she wanted was for him to tell her he did a good job. She had never been as thorough with an assassination as when she found and killed Captain Harrigan.

*****

The last time Queen Bezubar saw Oknarok he had his rifle aimed at her.

When she was summoned again for an assassination she had hopes it would be Oknarok calling again. Her heart caught a moment when she saw it was Badger Medlar, and was crushed when Badger told her the target was the one hobgoblin whose name she knew. Still, her body flushed at the thought of being close to him once more.

Before she set on her task, Bezubar made sure to take off her rings. One by one Bezubar slipped them off her fingers and into her dresser box. Ring of Sustenance. Ring of Protection. It lowered her defenses but she didn’t want a chance Oknarok would think she was bound to anyone else. Just in case he looked.

He never did.

All her life she ran away before she got hurt. She left the room before her mother woke up from her drunken stupor. She vanished before Zura realized she hadn’t finished a task and waited for someone else to do worse so her mistake would be forgotten. Poetic now she was facing a being she had capacity to love who might kill her but she could no longer teleport. He had shot her multiple times. They locked eyes for a moment and she wanted to tell him she would leave him be when she heard Malikor shout a spell. Bezubar had shifted her gaze to Oknarok’s lips and when she went blind, the afterimage of his face ghosted for a moment. She was focussed on the lips and imagined his next words but all she could hear was boom. Boom.

End

P.S. We skinned the Marilith and are looking into taxidermying her body to display on our island. Hope you will come visit and see her!

From the notebook of Arlyxannah Thanh
Log 6.1-C
The Curious Incident of the Diamond Necklace

As noted in log 3.5-A, Ka’kutah continues to display high risk behaviour with little to no regard to his own safety or the safety of children. Upon completing breakfast, Subject K revealed, from his bag of personal belongings, the cursed necklace from the haunted prison. Subject K handled the necklace directly. He attempted to sell the item to a small boy who was manning the desk of The Silk Purse, and engaged in an altercation with the boy about skin colour.

Re: cursed necklace

It is now in the possession of the owner of the Silk Purse, who will investigate the item further before a quote is determined. Subject K received a receipt in exchange and will return hence to evaluate the offer.

4-way Chamber
From the Silk Purse we journeyed back to the Haunted Prison to explore the lower level. We borrowed a canoe from Zantierra to travel on the water which floods the basement. While the waters were shallow, Miri V. fell and slipped spectacularly. Miri M. did not. (See: The Miri Experiment aka 2M for further differences)
We ventured down a dark tunnel and entered a chamber with four archways, a fallen staircase, and eight skeletons. As before (see: undead skeletons) we killed the skeletons and examined the brass plates above the archways.

1) Hell’s Basement
East, our entrance to this chamber.

2) The Nevermore
South wall. Miri M. claimed she saw her name in blood written on the wall, but no one else can corroborate this fact. Area is burnt and covered in soot. There is a mechanism on the far wall that is damaged and missing essential parts. We will assume the mechanism is to open the portcullis that is located in an adjoining area. Note: come back with parts from town or other mechanism (See: Reaper’s Hold) and investigate further.

3) Reaper’s Hold
West wall. Similar mechanism and portcullis structure. Subject K, again displaying disregard to own life, activated the mechanism. No ill effects. The first area is an assumed guard room with cots and chairs. A room farther to the left contained a large table with three skulls (see: Flaming Skulls), a heavy hammer, and a leathery body of a dwarf with red hair. (see: Mosswater Marauder) Another door with plate proclaiming “Torture Chamber”.

4) Oubliette
North wall. Another portcullis with more prison cells. Currently unexplored. (see: Ectoplasmic Creature)

Mosswater Marauder
Our encounter with the ghostly dwarf was swift. Subject K shot the ghost to no effect and created a hole in the wall (see: Secret Door in Reaper’s Hold). Subject MV handed a haunt syphon to Miruna, who used to phial and eliminated the threat. We did not utilize the cursed object at any time during this encounter. Effects on wielder are still unknown.

Flaming Skulls
After the defeat of the Mosswater Marauder, the three skulls on the table animated and became aflame. Subject K was encouraged to not shoot at a skull while I stood on the other side. He complied and opted instead to punch the flaming skull in the face. Punching was successful.

Secret Door in Reaper’s Hold
After the skulls were gone, we noticed the hole in the wall contained a secret door. We procure a few sets of armour (two with names, one a converted police uniform), some longswords, an old rope of climbing, a wand of hold person (CL3 11 charges) and some crossbow bolts in the secret compartment. Items were left in the 4-way chamber when we went to investigate the Oubliette hall. (See: Ectoplasmic creature) Items were strewn around the room when passed through again. Subject K suspects one item to be missing.

Ectoplasmic Creature
We were interrupted from exploring the Oubliette hallway when we noticed a bobbling light source from the direction we came. Investigation revealed the canoe we borrowed, which had Light cast on the hull, was broken into pieces. The rope we used to climb down was dirty and covered with an unknown substance that smelled like blood. We followed the trail and the trail split one into the water and one into the furnace room (see: Furnace=NONONO). One door to the furnace room was opened so we closed and locked it. The other door was found closed, and we locked it as well. We followed the scent out the front doors and found the area where we had left Digger and Snowblossom (See: animal companions) to be empty but with bloods and signs of a struggle. We tracked down the animals and I procured samples of goop that were in their wounds. (Evidence Phial 4 and 5)

The creature was able to walk on air and through solid objects but left a trail of ooze. We neutralized him before he reached Ravengro.

Isinwen, the initial friendship subject, (See: “Secret Friendship Club” Experiment) made a comment she would write a paper on the creature but I have secured myself as lead researcher on the subject and await her disinterest in publication.

Evidence Log
Phial 4 (Digger) and 5 (Snowblossom)
-goop from ectoplasmic creature
-causes terror

Excerpt from Malikor's Epic Ballad:

This is the tale of Dame Pancine
And her mental break on ship.
When Yaro, knighted faithful steed,
Was possessed and ran off Quip.

Thanmo gutted for all to see,
Black smoke had swarmed around.
Inside Dame Yaro who dived deep down
And thus could not be found.

She was spotted toward the haunted place
By Oknarok, my friend.
So ahead we went to get her back
And the mist to meet its end.

Five Halflings, small and bandaged up
Were around possessed Yaro too.
We called them Cultists for their robes,
That were tattered and black not blue.

I used my faith and Moloch’s strength
To cast a spell on smoke.
To solidify its incorporeal form
And kill the thing with pokes

From guns and hits and crocodile bites
We destroyed it with Yaro giving
The final blow, but really a chew
Dame Yaro could now be leaving.

Pancine and Yaro carried forth
To free the next slaving village.
Dame Pancine did ask if hobgoblins might
Be okay with certain pillage

Of other hobgoblins, not us five
She saw yonder sell some slaves.
Into a build with human guards
Us hobs were glad weren’t caves.

The Scarlet Tusk regiment tried to get us in
Their intimidation scheme.
But we didn’t want a part in selling
Real people even though not our team.

Those hobgoblins left through the back door
While Pancine freed all the rest
By freed I mean killed but she left one girl behind.
Malatina seemed like the best.

She has a monkey named Fee so nothing else should
Make a difference to us at all.
The Quipper will be the zoo we all want
And onward we’ll sail so tall.

To my dear heart,

The seas are rough but my memory of you is taut and pulls me forward in unwavering determination. What news have I to share with you? My brothers and sisters at sea have grown accustomed to possessing our own crew. The fungal one, Fuzzy Mela, has produced an offspring in the few days we stretched our legs on land. Faithful cousin Leitauk takes the change in stride. Sister Marqua and I search deep in thoughtful invention to create a suitable habitat on board. So far our ideas for rich soil and fertilizer has come down to carry a few mounds in the hold and relying on our new canine companion, M, and our once again dysentery cursed brother Yarrnok to provide useful by-product. I continue to hold optimism that Mela and her son Jeth can find a home with us.

Their condition worsens with each day they do not root on land, and we left our last conquered village in hopes of a quick conquer of the next. Spotted in port of this next village was a ship comparable to our own Quipper, and the crew used the veil of night to investigate. With deft stealth we went to shore. The streets were dizzy with inebriation, with sweat and noise and displays of heart-pounding joy I only recognize in myself when I am with you.

Two vagrants joined our wandering party and we welcomed them as concealment. Dave and Carol came with us to investigate a stone ziggurat in the centre of town. The entrance was as sealed as their fates. Leitauk, Marqua, Oknarok, and I attacked the six guards and used Dave and Carol to declare mutiny on the captain of the docked ship and out came Captain Ambrax, the captain of The Anglerfish.

It is not my intention to worry you, dear heart, but I have seen the face of my god. When Ambrax's cutlass came down on me, it was a fatal blow. She severed head from body, reasoning from breathing, me from you. But Moloch’s desire for me to return to you is so strong that he extracted my soul intact, fused my flesh, and brought me back to this tenuous plane. I have returned to my body and my goals are as clear as the sound of bells reverberating over water. We must combine ourselves and create offspring to further worship Moloch.

In the end my friends defeated Captain Abarax. We had sent Giffer, Jelga, and Woo to secure the Anglerfish but when I woke up Jelga gave report that Giffer hired some slaves and sailing the ship away. Leitauk sent a message to Giffer with her best wishes. Perhaps we will encounter The Anglerfish in the future and welcome Giffer back as part of our fleet.

My love, it is not a question of if but of when will be reunited. I will burn this correspondence in hopes that Moloch will once again help me and deliver it to you.

Devotedly yours,
Malikor