Dalrack Gildedthread's page

Harvester 3, 595 CY, Continued

A cleric of Heironeous named Arkady Leonov approached the party soon after we had dispatched the wolves. After the fierce battle, we were especially on our guard and wary of anything that might attack us. A number of the party members showed distrust of him. Maybe all of them showed distrust even, but the majority came from Atreus and Curunir.

Curunir’s concern seemed to come from suspicion of a stranger wandering in to help, which I can agree with, I am not sure if there was a deeper reason for it. While I share his concern, I do not want it to blind me to the help we certainly needed, no matter who offered it.

Atreus seemed to have a deeper issue with Arkady. Maybe Atreus is more defensive as we begin to delve down because of the local legends and dangers surrounding these cairns. I suspect there are deeper reasons for it though. In either case, I will have to be cautious of this and do my part to avoid forcing them to put their lives in the each other’s hands.

Barl accepted him readily when Arkady demonstrated his healing ability. Arkady did so in a similar manner to how Morwel used her healing magic at the Moonmeadow compound, except in this case Akady demonstrated his healing ability on me. While I certainly felt uncomfortable being an example for his healing prowess, it irritated me even more to watch Arkady waste his healing on me. Investing my own life energy in Barl had left me winded, but I would have recovered before the end of the day. There were others with actual injuries to treat before me.

Atreus grudgingly allowed Arkady to stay with the party as we continued onward. In the wolf’s den, we found humanoid remains along with a bag. Inside we found a colored lantern with no immediate purpose. In another alcove, we found a diagram with a central room surrounded by alcoves filled with lit colored lanterns forming the spectrum of a rainbow. Walking down a set of stairs, we found a room that matched that diagram except two lanterns were missing and, except for the green lantern, all the lanterns were dark. The lantern we had found just before seemed to be one of the missing lanterns, but the other is still missing.

A trap summoned a monster before we could investigate much more. It was a massive venomous spider conjured by Arkady’s movements. The strength it had was obvious with the massive blows it dealt to the armored cleric. Arkady retreated to heal himself as the spider’s venom drained his strength. Then Atreus was the only one left facing the creature in melee. Everyone else stayed a good distance from the creature. Morwel stood behind me and used her healing to replenish the energy I spent to bolster those next to the spider. I was tempted to admonish her for healing me when I did not need it, but this seemed neither the time nor the place to speak of that. Thankfully, the creature was quickly defeated and it disappeared as summonings do.

After we recovered, we filled all of the available lanterns with our torches. As we did, Morwel noted that the sarcophagus at the center of the room was shaped like an arrow. With some effort, we rotated it to point to the other alcoves. When it reached the green lantern, a rumbling filled the cavern and a hole crumbled beneath the green lantern’s chain. From there came a swarm of acidic beetles and a giant spider-like creature with bladed legs. The swarm was hard for the party to defeat. Almost all of us had nothing to drive away their numbers. Morwel and Barl did the most to it with their spell and flask of alchemist’s fire. Arkady was lucky when he lit a patch of oil by striking his steel shield against the stone ground. I had only just managed to light my own torch and strike it back for a moment before they finally dispersed.

That left us with two directions we could go without trying to move the sarcophagus again. The new hole that descends sixty feet into the darkness below and a passage that opens up high at the top of another alcove. At the top Barl found the remains of a person launched out of the passage and slammed into the wall at an incredible speed. I worry that passage may become our only option for moving forward and, in that case, that wall may become my grave. Barl inspected it briefly before it was determined we should leave further exploration for the next day when everyone was better prepared. I would have rather continued forward. I had held most of my magic in reserve for a greater threat, but it seems that I might have held it back too much.

However, I feel comfortable as I go back to the decrepit mining office with most of my magic ready. At least more so than if I had no magic left here in the wilderness among people that I have known for no more than two days. I have to chastise myself though, retaining my magic will mean little if I lost a good ally because of my frugality.

Atreus and Arkady left for the town separately. I am not sure if they are more of a threat to each other or the beasts that roam the wilderness.

I talked with Morwel about her magic and I am no longer certain how she practices magic. If I understand her correctly, she prepares spells in the same manner as I each morning, but her snake familiar, Sir Hiss, instructs her in the preparation of these spells. I am not certain where Sir Hiss’s knowledge comes from, but it seems that he can learn magic through the consumption of a prepared scroll. I will continue to investigate the nature of her unique magic to see if I can apply to my own studies.

The mining office is in an extreme case of disrepair, but it should serve better than camping outside. A bit of work should make it into an adequate base for the moment. At the very least, this effort should make up for my lack of physical training over the last few days. If the dangers continue to build deeper within the cairn, I will need a greater well of endurance to grant to my allies. Barl has helped clear out a portion of the living room and I have nearly cleared the well. It grows dark quickly, but I believe that we should be done before we lose our light.

Allies and Enemies

Acid Beetle – While this is little threat by itself, it became a great danger when it joined with hundreds of its kind to attack. The swarm has incredible defenses that are hard to deal with. Killing a few with a sweep of a blade or firing of a ray does not impede these at all. Fire was the only thing that harmed them. Either from a magical burning spray, a vial of alchemist’s fire, burning oil, or a lit torch, nothing aside from flame did any apparent harm to it.

Arkady Leonov – He is a cleric of Heironeous, a member of the clergy in Diamond Lake. His arrogance is obvious and irritating to deal with. If he feels that we have done something wrong in his mind, I am not sure if he would seek to judge and execute his sentence right there in the cairn. Despite his exceptional power, he is still vulnerable to creatures with pure strength and shows no signs of being resistant to poison.

Atreus – He showed an unusual amount of aggression at Arkady, I am unsure if this will become a continuing issue. He seems to have no significant ability to protect himself or combat against vast swarms of insects. Still, I doubt that a swarm would provide any exceptional threat if there was nothing barring his retreat.

Curunir – He used his magical abilities and empowered the attacks of our allies. I can maximize this ability if I am able to finish my research into conjuring more creatures to fight alongside us.

Slasher – This quick insect-like creature attacked with quick strikes from bladed legs. It even seemed capable of striking everything around it in a whirl of cuts.

Summoned Giant Spider – This appeared fast and had attacks that could easily kill a man even before the poison completely drained them of their strength. I was not able to note any exceptional defenses before it was defeated.

Spell Research

While I might be able to learn Morwel’s fire magic, I find it prudent to begin my own research into the matter given today’s experience with the beetle swarm. A longer lasting flame should complement instantaneous blasts of fire. I have seen the spell before in my studies and I should be able to replicate the magic to create flaming spheres soon.

Much of what is broken in the mining office is shattered beyond the ability of my cantrips to make whole. It would speed up repairs to the office if could take the broken pieces and use my magic to completely restore the destroyed object.

Harvester 3, 595 CY

I had a conversation with Ellival Moonmeadow that controls the mine. He was somewhat antagonistic to my appearance and would seem to have preferred that I never have the pleasure of entering his home or interacting with Morwel again. I understand this well, but I am worried how far he might go to protect his home from outsiders.

I was allowed to stay the night and learned that my companions had found themselves at the gates. While the master talked with them, I spoke with Morwel a bit and learned more about her. After some incident in her homeland, she had been forced into this village. I believe that she is intent on finding something to regain the comfort, freedom, and respect she deserves. If some enemy offers it to her, I cannot be sure that she would not take it.

Still I could not turn away when she wanted to join the expedition into the cairn. Her magic would prove very useful and I feel more comfortable with not finding myself entirely within a party that conveniently all found themselves at a tavern table one day.

After that, I rejoined with the rest of the party. They themselves had allegedly battled some of the shadowy figures that had attacked Morwel and the late Kaleceth. Neither Atreus nor Barl seemed to want Morwel in the party, but after she displayed her healing abilities, they accepted her offer of help. I am curious about her healing ability myself. Although the magic moves in an odd way, I hope that, with Morwel’s help, that I can learn how to apply it to my own magic.

With that done, I spent the rest of the day in Morwel’s room treating her wounds. I sadly found myself too distracted to administer proper care. Her figure was quite astonishing… I never saw her without her gloves or footwear though. She might have been hiding some scar that marred her beauty; I did not find it prudent to push it.

She also asked me to figure out a way to get out the complex unimpeded. Unable to come with another plan I just yelled at the elven guard, distracting him until thought Morwel had escaped. It was crude and I likely went over the top, but it seemed to have worked. This would likely produce a displeased reaction from Ellival Moonmeadow; I will have to be ready for it.

The journey to the cairn was thankfully uneventful.

A pack of wolves attacked us once we delved into the cairn. They appeared to be normal in all respects, but I am wary of someone that might have directed them to take a position guarding the tunnel. They wounded Barl, but thankfully not as badly as he could have been.

Addendum: A broken stone arch within the cairn appears to have been made by the same people that created the artifacts that interested Allustan at the bar. I should question him about it when I go back to the town.

Allies and Enemies:

Atreus – Although I have only seen him fight once, he is clearly a powerful warrior. His powerful blows are easily able to dispatch most with one swing. I may have imagined it, but it seemed as though that, when a wolf stuck him with a solid bite, he did not take as much damage as I would have expected. It might have just been luck, but it could be that his body is capable of ignore some amount of damage to it, like a vampire or a werewolf. There may be a way be a way to bypass this.
If he has weaknesses, they are not within his melee abilities or endurance. Attacking his mind might be the easiest way to defeat him. Bolstering his mental defenses will be the best way to ensure he keeps fighting for the group.

Barl Burlyfoot – A skilled warrior with a weapon in each hand. His weakness appears to be where his strength lies. His attacks improve considerably when catching an opponent unaware or when working with another to flank a target. To minimize his damage, an opponent needs to ensure he does not leave their sight and you do not let an ally of his find a way behind you. Well-positioned allies make him a considerable threat on the battlefield.

Curunir – At the very least Curunir is a skilled archer. He also has said his magic can bolster us, but circumstances have not happened to force him to reveal that yet. One way to negate his ranged abilities would be to have several people were to engage him in melee. If he is too far to engage in melee, one might take cover and force him to approach for a clear shot. He still has difficulty firing at creatures in close melee, so keeping some enemies clear would increase his accuracy.

Dark Creeper – These shadowy creatures were the ones that struck Morwel and attacked the other party members. Upon death, they produce a blinding flash of light that left their gear intact, but body destroyed according to the rest of the party.

Ellival Moonmeadow: Owner and patriarch of the elven estate in Diamond Lake. He seems knowledgeable of the area, but he carries a strong dislike and distrust of people that come from outside his family tree. That is understandable. My aiding of Morwel’s escape quite likely will bring his anger down upon me.

Izraphael – Did not join the party on the expedition to the cairn. It is unknown what he could be doing. Allegedly has the power to use magic to fill an area with daylight.

Morwel – An impressive spell caster, but it seems that the amount of magic she can call upon in a day might be as limited as my own. She was favoring her crossbow in combat, but her accuracy did not seem exceptional. She would be in danger if forced into melee. She has to have room to be able to move and cast her spells freely. If I turned, the same strategies would be just as effective on me.

Spell Research:

With Morwel’s help, I might learn from her how she can cure light wounds with her magic. I have been unable to make this discovery myself, but she might have a knowledge that I lack. She has also created a blast of fire in the battle with the dark creeper, I am hopeful that she might be able to teach me how she cast out a wave of fire with her burning hands.

Even without assistance, I might be able to mimic healing magic with my necromancy to create a sort of false life that could serve to protect myself against attacks or restore the energy that I transfer to others.

With the number of malevolent creatures we might be facing, I find it prudent to investigate ways to create a protection from evil ourselves from their mental and physical attacks.

Barl might continue needing assistance with flanking that will be too dangerous for me to provide. I search for a way to summon monsters to attack with him while not putting ourselves in danger.

I still find myself wary being in a strange town with no one that I can be sure of. It may be I might need to make it appear as if were dead in order to ensure that does not become the reality. While I lack illusion, I might be able to use necromancy to alter the shape of a body to make it appear as if it were mine or another persons. After using this sculpt corpse spell, I should be able to divert any that would have me killed, at least for a short time.

Dalrack's Journal

Harvester 2, 595 CY

My investigation into the "unkillable" undead in the hills around Diamond Lake proceeds forward with a hasty start. My conversations with the members of the Cult of the Green Lady have led me to believe that the rumors that have drawn me here are, unfortunately, true. They were not able to provide me additional details about them, but at the very least they have helped me not dismiss the claims too early.

I questioned a number of the townsfolk of Diamond Lake to little avail. None seemed to even know of the dangerous undead I seek out. Allustan, a scholar of great renown in the area, couldn't tell me more than confirm the existance of undead in the area. No specific creatures seemed to come to his mind with the vague description I had. He offered to speak with me more at a place called Lazare's, hopefully I will be able gain more knowledge through him.

The town itself seems to be a dangerous place. While many of the people that I spoke with today seemed uncorrupted, there is a feeling of desperation in the air. I might have imagined it or I could otherwise be misinterpreting the dedication of this town's people, but the desire to change one's position in the world might be drawing some of the residents to dark rituals and deals with devils.

I must be aware of this while I stay here. If the town falls to the worship of a dark deity the undead will be the least of the troubles for this land.

I have begun to form into a group with a few of the locals and a few travelers with their own goals in the area. One of them, Curunir, brought up that he had a friend go missing because of a group local to Diamond Lake. Allegedly they are responsable for performing human sacrifices and are established in one of the cairns in the area.

However, the convienance with which everything has come together makes me uneasy. The moment I came into the town I had a person guiding me right to a seat at the tavern and, before the sun had set, two travelers that had come into town that day came into the establishment and found that the different people they were looking for were both involved with one another. It feels like this was set up and that I'm heading into a trap.

After the bar, I found myself alone with a most beautiful woman, Morwel. Most of my companions had run off to investigate something on the other side of town and I was ready to follow them, but, after hearing Morwel's voice call out, I could not bring myself to chance leaving her alone in the dark. It seems that my instinct was right as some creature lept at us in the darkness. It struck at Morwel and killed her acquaintance before vanishing back into the dark. I don't know if my new "friends" set this up, if these creatures were watching and waiting for us to split up, or if Morwel intended for me to be drawn into that fight. However, the injuries she suffered were severe. If she saw it coming, it is more likely that she was seeking help rather than kill me.

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Atreus - A strong man that I met working at a local blacksmith shop. He has guided me through the town and pointed at the people I should talk to. With how easy he became my guide, it might be that he was waiting for me to get into town. He might be subverting or redirecting my investigation. Aside from that he looks to be a good man.

Osgood - Owner of the blacksmith shop and possibly the best blacksmith in town. He was the one that suggested Atreus guide me through the city. He would have to be in on it as well for it to work out.

Balabar Smenk - Information from Atreus identifies this man as the most powerful of the mine managers in the area. He also hinted that Smenk created accidents to take out his enemies.

Mayor of Diamond Lake - Atreus neither pointed out him being either despicable nor benevolent to the people here.

Morwel - A beautiful woman that lives in a small complex Atreus refered to as "Elfland." She is a wonderful woman and quite nice to be around, but I can not help but have the feeling that she is waiting for an opportune moment to bare her fangs and drain me of my life. She seems to be some sort of spellcaster, a bard or a sorcerer perhaps. She seems to be vulnerable to the hardships of physical combat. She can not seem to last long when forced into melee.

Barl Burlyfoot - A halfling with more comebacks, jokes, and innuendo than I care to deal with, but he seems to be well connected in the town and knows a bit about the local cairns. His demeanor is irritating, but that doesn't stop me from trusting him. Although, it may just be a facade for me to let down my guard.

Allustan - A local that Atreus directed me to. He seems to be an impressive scholar though our interests do not seem to be aligned with one another. Still, he might be a good person to question about the history of this area. As long as I am careful and do not take his word as the complete truth, he should be incredibly useful.

Curunir - Came to the town looking for a friend named Dolbrun Trent.

Dolbrun Trent - A lieutenant in the town garrison. He disappeared after investigating or otherwise getting involved with a group of dangerous men. Before he went missing he seemed to be involved in some way with Daejin Moon.

Auric - A local adventurer that works with two others. Has proclaimed his intention of delving into one of the local cairns and becoming rich off of it's contents.

Izraphael - Druid of the Bronzewood Lodge. Came to the town looking for a member of his order, Daejin Moon.

Daejin Moon - A tracker for Izraphael's circle. Was sent to monitor the creation of a new mine by Elluviel Moonmeadow to ensure there would be minimal negative consequences for the surrounding environment.

Kaleceth - The father of Daejin Moon. Worked for Morwel's cousin. I knew him very briefly at what might have been one of the lower moments of his life as he drunkenly raged in the bar. Despite whatever else I thought of him, I regret not being able to stop the taking of his life.

Shadowy creatures - A short creature attacked Morwel from the darkness. I do not believe that it was either a halfling or a gnome, but I can not be certain. It did not seem to be abnormally resistant or vulnerable to Morwel's fire spell. It seemed to rely on a strong initial surprise attack with poison. If forced into a drawn out one-on-one fight, it might be less able to deal deadly blows.