Emyralda Mvashti's page

It’s only midmorning but I just want the day to end in the hopes tomorrow will be easier. The memories are still fresh and are like wounds, slowly scabbing over and because I’m me I can’t help but scratch at them so they bleed some more.

But I guess it’s time I write down the events of the day before yesterday before I (hopefully) forget a lot of the details.

We woke early having agreed to send the farmer we rescued back to Sandpoint with Glorli so he’d be safe and the town would at least know of our findings if we didn’t survive.

Still a little sleepy we were surprised when we heard the sound of wheels and horses on the road coming towards us. A small ray of light in my day, our caravan! Delivered by Chaine no less. It had been a while since we last saw him and he’s both grown up and at the same time not changed a bit.

We made our way onwards to Foxglove Manor, creepy doesn’t begin to cover it. You’ll have to forgive me if this gets a little muddled it was a very traumatic day. First there were the stained glass windows, with seven-sided boxes and creepy critters and hints of necromancy and the creepy monkey screech bell, why none of them stopped me tugging that cord is beyond me! Still nothing immediately leapt at us so that was alright, just weird.

Then the weird visions and possessions started. I opened a door only to see the shifting of dust that looked like an invisible person pacing. I tried to point it out to the others only to end up in confusion. Something about my husband doing something in the basement and my needing to protect my child, it’s all very vague. The next thing I know I’m outside, fighting off undead crows, which was alright but then Tammer spoke up, telling me I could let go of his hand. So embarrassing.

Apparently the stuffed manticore in the foyer came to life as Chaine tried to run past it but he survived and everything seemed fine when we went to look at it again.

Tammer suffered a lot from the visions, first there was the dancing. Tanrov decided to press a key on the piano which sent Tam into a dance with an invisible partner and judging from his face when he snapped out of it, it wasn’t the happiest of situations.

Then the scarf that tried to strangle him, I hated that I couldn’t get between him and these things, to take the hauntings onto myself. Then again as that was the one that made him certain it was Aldern that we were going to be dealing with maybe I didn’t want that one in particular…

None of us fared well in the haunted house, the whole thing seeming to especially hate me and Tammer. I’m sure he saw a lot of awful things, we didn’t talk about some of our visions it was too hurtful. Like the one I received of Aldern’s childhood. Mummy and Daddy were fighting, trying to kill each other and then they were going to kill me.. him.. Aldern, as a child. So awful.

Then I tried to claw my own face off, I fell through the floor, oh and Es fired a scorching ray at me. Not the best way to spend 5 minutes.

Then there was the saving both Tanrov and Chaine from suicide attempts and the discovery of Aldern’s wife. She’d cower and sob if shown anything of what she was in life and angrily go after Tammer (who had her scarf by this point) or Aldern. Unsure what to do we just left her cowering in the hopes of finding a way to put her soul to rest, even Es using Desna’s gifts could only get her to cower more rather than sending her on. It was awful, part of me just wanted to hug her, that we’d both been hurt because of what the house had done to Aldern. Tanrov wanted to put her out of her misery but I just couldn’t let him, I had to find a good way for her to find peace.

After much exploring and playing with rats there was only one door left to head through. Locked and too hard for me to bash through, so we did the only thing that came to mind. We took away the undead Varisian woman’s reminders of her past and let her go to confront Aldern. I knew it meant I may not get my chance to confront him but she deserved closure more than I did, and I had hoped to keep up with her so I’d see him briefly.

She was quicker than expected though and while she got the door open she was soon gone, well ahead of us and into the basement.

Following her path we found a hole in the basement floor and I received my last vision, one that still plagues me when I close my eyes. Aldern, frantically digging at the floor, opening the hole and saying it was ‘for you..’ at the time I thought maybe he meant me and I still think it’s probably the case but it may have been for her. Then the ghouls came from under the floor. Lots of them, they grabbed me and scratched and bit horribly at me, I experienced how he became a ghoul…

The caverns under the manor were littered with undead but I just pressed on. We destroyed them on our way to find Aldern, to see if he’d survived the visit from his ex-wife. There were even some goblin-ghouls, so very disturbing.

Turns out his wife did find him, but despite getting her shots in she lost, and I’m ashamed to say that I fared no better. I wanted to talk to him but seeing him like that, seeing my things on his table (including my hairbrush!) and that macabre attempt at a picture of me made me freeze. I didn’t know how to respond for a second and that brief second was all it took for one of the personalities to attack and paralyse me. Tanrov was still snarling from fighting the goblins and smacked Aldern in the face with a pickaxe he’s picked up from somewhere, it all went downhill from there. I tried to get them away so I could talk, get Aldern back to ask all the things I wanted to ask, but I failed. They killed him.

I reclaimed my hairbrush only to see the things on the table that weren’t mine, some drawings. I looked through them, I really don’t know why I did, morbid curiosity took hold and I fear I may never clear those images from my mind. All of the images were disturbing in their own ways lustful, violent and obsessional, I’m still not sure which was worse. The others saw some of them, sis joked about framing some of them, Chaine wanted a closer look at some of them and Tammer, thank Desna for Tammer, he took them from me and destroyed them. I kept the letter I found in amongst the sketches though, it’s our only clue to where we’ll find out more about the murders Aldern had committed – in Magnimar.

I read it a couple of times before letting Tam see it.. and then everything is a bit of a blur. Aldern dead I just couldn’t take any more of that place, I had to leave. Tammer who’d been one step behind me all day just wrapped an arm around me and we left. I don’t remember all of the journey back to the caravan but I remember curling up under the covers and having Tam beside me to cuddle up to and I was soon asleep. I’m sure Es hit the roof when she got back after her, Chaine and Tanrov’s looting but I really needed that, to feel warm and safe and away from the Misgivings.

Last night I did something I haven’t done in the longest time, I snuck out of my room and crawled into bed with Grandmother Mvashti. It was a little strange but also a great comfort, the last time I did that was when I was tiny and was convinced there was a monster in our attic!

I know I should talk to her or Es, or maybe Tammer about how I’m feeling but I still can’t bring myself to do it, every time I try to phrase it the whole thing seems a bit stupid and crazy. Grandmother has her own life to worry about, Es is already making jokes over the whole thing which just hurts me more and Tammer… How could I? He’s been sweet enough over this whole Aldern thing without having to listen to me explain exactly why I’m so distraught.

Yes, we found Aldern at the Misgivings, he was unwell. So very unwell, undead and multiple personalities unwell. I wanted so much to try to talk to him, to get closure to find out why me, whether he actually had true feelings for me or if I was just an applicable replacement to the Varisian wife he killed. It’s soul destroying either way, that maybe if I’d gone with him when he left Sandpoint, or persuaded him to stay a little longer that none of this would have happened. My friends killed him and I can’t help but feel that every little bit of this is somehow my fault, that I could have done something different to help everyone I care about.

And now I can’t stop crying.

The Misgivings is haunted, the dark memories of different Foxgloves from over the years seep from the walls and try to take over the minds of all that enter and in some way I wish I hadn’t seen the hauntings it makes it all the more heartbreaking. Because one family member was so very obsessed with the notion of eternal life all of his relatives that came after were corrupted in such awful ways. The children that lived there, the things they saw, it just… wow.

More later, I guess. I think it will take a while for me to write down everything that happened. My thoughts are a little jumbled. I’m not even sure which thoughts belong to me and which belong to the memories of the Foxgloves.

I feel ill, so very ill, Es got rid of the ghoulfever but I still feel sick to my stomach. Residual fever and the shock of yesterday I guess. I just don't know where to start.

All I want to do is cry but I'm travelling back with the others and don't want them all worrying even more about me. I know I'll just have to wait until tomorrow, to get out on my own for a few hours and just sob it all out.

maybe then I'll be able to put into writing exactly what happened at the Misgivings.

Today was long, and depressing. I could barely bring myself to talk much to any of my companions, I felt like a failure, especially as Tam was practically falling asleep in his saddle – I think he stayed up all night just in case I snuck out. It’s so sweet that he cares, but I wish he could see that it’s because I care that I want to do this.

Still, I held on to the hope that these scarecrows were ghouls. I wanted to prove that I can take on a pack of ghouls, that my plan had been a solid one.

Again Desna provided for me. If I ask for something violent she provides it in abundance, if I didn’t know any better I’d swear she gets a kick out of seeing me bleed and sis panic and heal me. The scarecrows were ghouls, mostly. Unfortunately two were humans in the far stages of ghoulfever, I had been poking at scarecrows to see which were strawfilled and which were ghoulfilled and one started to move but didn’t break free of it’s bonds. I’d been about to tell people to wait when Tanrov’s axe cut the poor soul in two, at least we were able to stop him before he killed the woman’s husband too.

Unfortunately the discovery there were people too meant we had to be extra careful, so poking all of the scarecrows often lead to me being bitten as I couldn’t kick them until I was sure they weren’t human.

Then there was the farmhouse. Another mutilated body with that star, and another note. I read it and then slipped it in my pocket, I’ve shared enough disturbing notes with my friends for one lifetime.

‘Take the fever into you, my love. It will be the first of my gifts to you’

How could I let them read that? They’d never let me protect them if they knew how certain the ‘Lordship’ was that I’d be ghouled and would be with them.

As a total aside I found a lot of silver whilst searching the farmhouse. Some of the group seemed certain it was the farmers savings but I really think it was much too much money for that, something suspect was happening there I’m sure of it. Are these ritual murders linked to the sins? Lust at the sawmill? Greed for the conmen and farmers? Maybe we should ask the one surviving farmer, I may as well investigate as there’s no way I’ll be able to escape tonight we’re all staying in the same building.

Now to try to hide this diary. Something tells me even if I put it in my backpack and use that as a pillow Es will get her hands on it.

Then again, I’d rather she read this than get into my mind.

I hate being related to spellcasters,

I swear my thoughts are never my own in this house. So, I evaded sis and was out of the window when I got this nagging feeling that maybe I should stay. Dismissing it as vague guilt over doing what none of the others want me to do I pressed on, it’s for their own good afterall.

Then grandmother spoke up. Her spell failed she obviously decided to go with straight logic. She told me I shouldn’t go, that the cards advised against it. So rude, doing readings about me without telling me. She told me that she could make me stay, or I could stay of my own free will.

I tried using the excuse that Tammer was possibly going to be out trying to stop me and that I should go stop him if I was staying, but that didn’t work, I’m such a poor liar!

Sis insists she didn’t tell Grandmother Mvashti that I might sneak out but I’m unsure whether to believe her or not. I’m sure even the dream feast will taste bitter tonight.

Can’t they see I’m trying to help?

Mumble, mumble scarecrow..

All too familiar to sis and me is the rhyme, the creepiness of the static scarecrows, the threat that he would get us if we didn’t behave.

Poor farmer Gump arrived in town today having been attacked by his own scarecrows, he was distraught and hysterically repeated the old rhyme. Looks like our trip to The Misgivings is to be postponed even more as the others feel that this really needs looking into first, there are other farmers down that way that could get hurt.

Meeting with the farmer and the sheriff over and done with we all agreed to meet up in the morning to go to deal with the scarecrows.

I hope they won’t be too upset with me when I don’t turn up.

We can solve both problems at once, if I leave early they’ll assume I went after the problem with the farm and go and deal with that whilst I go find ‘My Lordship’ and have a chat with him.

Sorry sis, but this needs resolving now

I'm not sure where to start. I feel a little empty and lost. I want to sneak out to save them all from getting hurt but I just know Tammer will be watching the house like a hawk. I just want him to understand that it's because I care so much about him and about sis that I want to do this. It's just a pack of ghouls, I can handle them right?

But I guess I should start at the start, this may very well be my last entry and I should do it some justice. I should take the time to explain myself whilst I wait for everyone who plans on stopping me falls asleep. I just wish I had a way of forcing sleep upon them all, it's for their own good. Nobody is going to get hurt on my behalf.

Today we, the 'heroes' of Sandpoint were called together along with Tanrov by the sheriff. Last night there was a murder and not just any murder, a ghastly disturbing ritualised thing and apparently it was the second of it's kind lately. Reminded of Chopper I felt a little sickened to begin with but then a message was given to me, a letter addressed to me that had been pinned to one of the bloody corpses, it read;

'You will learn to love me, desire me in time as she did. Give yourself to the Pack and it shall all end.

Your Lordship'

Of course after the worry and upset over having to read such a thing my path was clear. I had to find this pack and give myself over to it, it's as simple as that I have a chance of defending myself most of the populace of Sandpoint however do not. Unfortunately I had no idea what or where this pack was and the more learned individuals in our little merry band refused to voice opinions. I know Tam and Es care for me but they need to see that I'm strong enough to do this.

So instead we were pulled into investigations of the murder at the lumber mill. Poor Ivor Thorn had been the one to discover the scene, his workmate Harker & Katrine Vinder brutalised. Her body thrown through the saw and his, skin shredded, jaw taken that infernal 7-pointed star engraved into his flesh. Glorli wanted to be utterly thorough, Tanrov tracked the culprit but lost the trail and poor sis got forced to closely observe the bodies as she knows a little about healing, for once I was almost halfway glad that I'm the stupid one. Tammer and I however looked around a bit, but it was sickening, we took our leave as soon as we could there's only so much body poking you can do before it becomes redundant - we had some clues they didn't need to keep prodding at the blood and gore. I guess Glorli's trying to work out how strong the culprit was by asking if I could lift a struggling man and pin him to a wall didn't help. Apparently I'm now in the category of 'freakishly' strong and because I can fight it seems to be forgotten that I am still a young woman, just because I've fought a few small battles it doesn't mean that I don't get upset by these things and that I've worked out my strength to all of it's practical limitations!

Oh, to make matter worse - Stanus, poor, poor Stanus. That poor boy has no luck! First he finds Tsuto's body, then he's having to work with a twitchy Deivan and now being charged with guarding the murder scene. I really just want to hug him and protect him sometimes, he's seen enough.

After the poking of things inside the mill we decided to have a quick talk with Mr Quink over the star symbol, as it seems so important in all of this. The sage seemed tired, I don't think he's slept much ever since Tammer started providing more information on what's below Sandpoint and the stuff that's at Thistletop. It seems long ago (about 10,000 years) there was a group of magic users known as the Thelosian's and the star was their symbol. It's called Shederon or something and was meant to represent the schools of magic and the 7 virtues - wealth, fertility, honest pride, eager striving, abundance, righteous anger and rest. Unfortunately the empire became far from righteous and the symbol got twisted, corrupted to mean quite the opposite, and here's me wearing the symbol around my neck. I like to think the medallion I wear was crafted when it stood for all that was good in the world, anything else doesn't bear thinking about.

With the new information in mind people started worrying and overthinking, bringing up the idea that maybe the note was addressed to me because I'm wearing Nualia's medallion, that I'm supposed to be the new Nualia in some big evil organisation, the 'pack'. I know I'm not the most tactful of people but I think today is the bluntest I've ever seen my friends. Yells of 'They want you to birth demon babies!' and the like whilst walking through the streets of Sandpoint was not helpful in the slightest, especially when passersby stopped and stared.

Tammer was quick on his feet as usual and is now creating a new play, one involving undead - vampires probably, evil monsterous babies, maybe a werewolf or two and a hero that weilds a crossbow, all quite adventuresome and a good cover for the next time we all start yelling at each other over these things.

At least our yelling made it easy for the sheriff to find us, having given us time to investigate of our own volition he tracked s down to give us details of the first murder. In a barn down in Cougar Creek the bodies of three conmen were discovered in a similar state to the two in the lumber mill, disfigured and the Shederon star carved into one of them. Their bodyguard a Varisian thug called Savilla survived but was driven insane and was taken to the Saintly Haven of Respite. There was a letter on one of the bodies as well, thankfully this time it wasn't addressed to any of us the sheriff gave it to Tammer who fast appears to be developing into our unofficial leader. I feel so guilty, he said what was on the piece of paper but I still felt the need to read it myself, to scan it for clues. I just know he now thinks that I don't entirely trust him but I needed to see, to get any clues I could as to where to find the Pack, hopefully he'll forgive me for that. The letter was signed 'Your Lordship' again, so I guess the person responsible doesn't see himself as just my Lordship, but a Lordship in general other than that the ony clue it gave was that there was going to be some sort of deal, with property and gold.

Devoid of any more clues as to what the Pack was we decided we should at least try to speak with Savilla, so off we set. It was an interesting journey, lots of talk of religion and of puppets and of Tanrov's crazy violence issues. I followed some of it with interest but generally phased in and out of my own thoughts. How to find the pack, and how to escape my friends so they wouldn't get hurt. I know my thinking this way really kills sis and Tam, Es wanting for us to remain close and identical always and Tammer having already lost his parents and not wanting anyone else to die on him, but if they got killed or turned into something monsterous how could I possibly go on living?

The sanitorium was a little soul destroying and sis and Glorli moved into the room to talk to Savilla as he seemed a little sickly and they had the best chance of helping. Hanging back near Tammer I stood out of the way, not wanting to crowd the room but then the sick man spoke up. He delivered a message from his master, directly to sis, I think he thought she was me. A promise to stop the harvest if I went to the misgivings and joined his master's pack. Taking a step back I turned to run, sure I could get away before the other's notice I had a big clue and I could use it to find where I was going but then the thug slumped briefly before storming forward and trying to attack Es. All hope of getting away from to solve the situation as a whole fleeing me I tumbled into the room in the hopes of keeping my sister safe, it was me that the diseased man wanted, not her.

The Varisian man was quickly dealt with and it turns out we'd done him a favour, he was in the advance stages of ghoulrot or something equally foul. As much as the message from the man had struck me it seemed it had more of an effect on Tam. He told us that he knew of a place called 'The Misgivings' and seemed reluctant to give up any more information than that. Pointing out that I had a right to know I eventually got it out of him, the other name of The Misgivings - Foxglove manor.

I don't know where to start, how can Tammer and Es suspect Aldern? Yes I know him, and we got along, we promised we'd keep in touch but this? He was very much alive last time we saw him. Who's to say it isn't someone else based in his old family home, it needed fixing up right? Maybe the ghouls moved in when he wasn't around. Yes there are clues that would point to him but that doesn't mean it is him does it? I'm usually quite a good judge of character, i know when I'm being lied to and he seemed so genuine when we all went hunting, a down-to-earth nice guy.

I need to know the truth.

We're all supposed to be setting off tomorrow to investigate but I can't let them all suffer because I've somehow gotten tangled in something dark. Glorli and Tammer have been watching me all evening and I even think sis is pretending to sleep rather than resting and enjoying a dreamfeast. I'm setting off in an hour or so, I'm sure I'm quicker and tread lighter than Tammer's eyesight and ears will allow him to pick up on, especially considering how dark it is. They'll all be safe and will hopefully sleep well and dream and I'm going to go resolve this.

Or die trying.

I'm bringing my diary with me this time, if it all goes wrong I want them to know for certain that my last thoughts were of them.

Today was pretty great. Not as great as I'd hoped but we'll get into that later. Tonight was the birthday party for the Heroes of Sandpoint, Tammer and Deivan. After a lot of discussion and setting up sis and I made sure we had the perfect party set up for them, their friends, lots of pretty ladies, drinks and presents. We even set up treasure hunts to lead them to their gifts, making Tammer's even halfway challenging for him was a chore but with Ami's help we translated a lot of the clues into Minkai to make it a little trickier. Deivan however we struggled to make sure the clue would definately get him to his destination, we didn't want to lose him in the streets of Sandpoint, we wanted to get him to his gift and back in roughly one piece!

As for what we got them giftwise; Tammer was a pain! I really wanted to get him something special, but for the mostpart sis and I drew blanks for a while, he seems to have eveything he wants and be doing so well for himself. Eventually we (I say we, it was mostly Es' idea) settled on commissioning a travelling scholar's pack for him, a pad, pen and inks that will travel well and a good waterproof bag. I still worry it's not the best we could have done but I'm struggling to think of anything better. Deivan however is an easy man to please, buy him that repeating crossbow he's been eyeing for years and the company of one of the Pixie's finest women for an hour or so and he's a happy, happy boy! The grin never left his face from the second he returned to the Dragon until the end of the evening, I really think we made his day.

Unfortunately it was someone else's birthday too, I can't believe I was so stupid as to forget Tammer's twin, he's dark, he's quiet but he's still vaguely around. I hate that we didn't get him something small, on the offchance that he would turn up. I really need to be more forward thinking and a little less impulsive sometimes. How I'd forgotten him when it wasn't that many years ago that my youthful optimism thought it would maybe be cute if the Mvashti sisters ended up with Headmaster Gandethus' adopted sons.

Speaking of which, Es' NTS. I finally found her diary again and need to apologise for all I put her through, I really can't help the way I am sometimes, sorry I keep almost dying! But I digress, she left me a note in her diary and her words struck me: 'I do feel it is a very good idea to record your real thoughts, less you forget them or they become twisted or distorted' She wrote this in response to my entry of the 9th of Lamashan, and more specifically the 'kiss' from Tammer. So on her advice (as much as I loath to admit it sometimes she is the wise one) I'm going to be a little more honest with myself and my records, what's the point of keeping a diary if you lie to yourself or omit things from it?

Tonight I spent a lot of the evening wanting to kiss Tammer. It's his birthday afterall so if it all went horribly wrong I could blame it on the festivities and the drinking. I really do like him, but, there are so many buts. It's hard not to feel awkward when you have a meddling twin, I sometimes feel as though some of my emotions are there because she's pushed me that way because she's decided it's 'Desna's will'. Then his brother was there so that would be kind of weird, what if they wanted to catch up? I rarely see them in each other's company. Then there's Deivan, it was his birthday too and while he insists I'm 'scary' now and seemed more than happy with the company we bought for him I can't help but feel things are a little resolved after that one 'date'. Then, to top all of that off there's Aldern, I really feel like I connected with him, and promised to keep in touch with him, as he did with me and I intend to keep that promise and hope to hear from him soon. I just feel, lost. I want to end up with someone special but not mess up and end up hurting my friends. So there, Es, now you know. If you use this against me I'll.. do something not pleasant to you! Or worse! I'll damage our beloved bed! Or something to that effect.

So yes, drinking dancing and merriment all around but I chickened out of the kiss I'd planned, a mixed day all around really,

The Mvashti sisters have wheels! Or rather we will in a couple of weeks when all the work is done, so exciting. We sold all the junk from thistletop and now have new horses, a wagon on the way, paint to decorate said wagon (in Desnan designs of course), new clothes and all sorts of furnishings for our wagon - that thing is going to take Es and I all over the map, and off of it hopefully! We even paid to get our lovely kingsize bed fitted in there, with the really nice manacles we found, not that we'll use them, it's just fun to see men's faces when we demand restraints be added to the bed of the Mvashti sisters!

We also commissioned our birthday present for Tammer, I really hope he likes it! And we asked for our planned gift for Deivan to be put aside as well, their joint birthday celebration should be really good if all goes according to plan.

After that it was back to work at the dragon. If you can call it work, tonight was a busy but relaxed evening. Es and I were discussing the possibility of getting uniforms so people would know when we're working and when we're not as we're in there in our free time too. This induced a lot of staring from the mostly male clientele, then of course sis had to mentiaon the idea of aprons - without clarifying that she meant over our usual clothes and not on their own!

We got to meet an interesting new arrival in town, a shoanti from the axe-clan, Tanrov. He's huge. I know I'm not the tallest of girls but I suddenly felt so very dwarfed at meeting him! At least Es and I could see him a little better when it came around to our usual dance on the bar, I think we're getting a lot better at it, no drinks spilt and more customers clamouring to get to the bar, I think it may be time we got a pay rise!

After dancing there was of course storytelling, it's always great hearing Tammer tell the story of the attack on Sandpoint, it makes me feel less 'butch', but even then Es' whispered comments about how there was a lot more goblin brain on my foot than the story implies and other such useful remarks. Still, the distraction of hearing tales from where Tanrov is from was a lot of fun, he seems like a really interesting guy.

Before heading home we doublechecked with Ami that we were still okay for taking over the Dragon on the 18th for the birthday party, we are, now all we need to do is work out who to invite. Young men like girls right? So we're hoping to fill the guestlist with females from around the town. It's at times like these I wish we had more female friends!

I actually bumped into an onduty Deivan today, he's looking a lot better and more in control in his life. He's been partnered with the guy who found Tsuto after the hanging incident, so together they really do make the cutest, if most emotionally scarred, pair of watchmen going! They were both a little twitchy but otherwise pretty good so I left them to it, they had work to do afterall, I so need to find something to do with myself when sis is doing clerical duties.

I still haven't found my hairbrush.

I should be excited as tomorrow is market day and we're going to sell all of the stuff we found at Thistletop and Es and I are going to commission a nice custom-made wagon to travel in style like the fullblooded Varisians we are! Instead, I'm peeved. My hair is an utter mess! My hairbrush has disappeared, Es says that she hasn't seen it and that I can use hers as they're identical, but it's just the principle of the thing it was my hairbrush! The one with the dent in the back from when I dropped it a year or so ago.

Then, to top it all two of my favourite hairbeads are missing! Es seems quite certain I only had 3 good green and 4 good blue ones but I could have sworn I had 4 green and 5 blue! If I didn't know any better I'd say I was either going crazy or Es has decided the her new hobby should be irritiating me with pointless things!

Dear Diary,

We made it. Just about. When you pray for excitement and adventure Desna provides in great quantities! I have a few hectic days to recap so this may get a little disjointed and odd. Then again from what I know of real adventures hectic and mad seems to be a staple.

We set out early on Fireday, but it didn't take long for us to encounter problems. While Es and I are quite used to travelling and exploring outside the town this was entirely different. The wild woods and then an insane thorn maze. Deivan made his way through first, finding a lot of secret passages hidden amongst the brambles. Unfortunately his being in the front meant he was first to walk into a bunch of goblins, as usual this didn't turn out so well. Deivan really doesn't appear to be any good at fighting in enclosed spaces, especially when there are thorns to get caught on!

We survived that though. A little cut and bruised we eventually got quite a way through the twists and turns of the goblins little labyrinth. Unfortunately that's whenone of them started throwing fire at me. Yes, one of the little monsters wasn't only thowing fire but used a firesword on me! and fighting something that can walk through thorns is just hard! I'm just so glad a lot of my friends are good with healing, I'm sure I would have died serveral times over this weekend if it weren't for them.

Injured by the guardians of the maze we decided we should camp before progressing onwards, but I couldn't stay still. I wanted to investigate more, to be doing something but everyone made me stay still and rest, something about me being 'too' injured. I eventually got some sleep and was up early, ready and willing to explore more. My explorations lead me to a deep drop in the floor of the maze, opening out to a sea cave. Thinking I saw something I dropped a rock into the water. There was definately something down there as it let out a strange noise, unfortunately I had Deivan with me and something about the sound set him off. It's hard to explore safely when you're accompanied by someone shouting about 'yelling scary fish!' and running in circles. I had to restrain him, which was suprisingly easy - no wonder he thinks of me as scary.

So then it was across the rickity bridge (which of course collapsed, how did we not see that happening?) and to the goblin lair. So many goblins, so many goblins killed. Deivan went a little crazy and killed a lot of them who were still asleep, it was at this point we started to worry about him, with each new challenge or fight he seems to break a little more, he claimed that they all deserved to die, even the women and children, he started to scare me a lot.

On a slightly odder, lighter, note we found something surreal in our exploring. Hidden, half eaten pickles! Then there was the discovery of the broken pickle barrel. It turns out some of the goblin guards were also pickle thieves. It's almost cute. I have to keep reminding myself of the monsterous acts they've commited to stop myself feeling guilty for fighting and killing them. It's at times like this I worry that I might not be cut out for adventuring either - I shouldn't be so soft!

Speaking of goblins and monsterous acts; Ripnugget and his flunkies were using a spell to replay the attack on Sandpoint when we found them, it was all kinds of creepy and sickening really. Fortunately Tammer being his usual self retold the way things really were as we waded in to deal with the runts. Despite the morale boost from having Tammer and the others nearby Ripnugget was a truly irritating foe to fight. Mounts should not be giant lizards and they really shouldn't walk up walls! I hate not being a ranged combatant sometimes, it gets frustrating! But we succeeded, one more goblin hero down!

Then there was under the goblin lair, that's where things started getting weird. First there was the surreal, floaty octopus thing with a stinger - I should have paid more attention in school and then maybe I would know what these oogy things are. After that the creepy temple to Lamashtu with the weird evil dogs that made the goblin dogs look cute and cuddly and of course the customary dungeon torture chamber. Ick.

Then the pleasant suprise Lyri, a wizard lady studying the ruins under Thistletop. She was intelligent and easy to talk to and while I worry a little about some of her past and outlooks she really wasn't doing anything wrong, she was paid to research, paid well for her passion. Glorli of course grumbled and insisted she should face justice. I can't help but ask for what? She took a job and had nothing to do with the attack on Sandpoint. I wonder if he'd have reacted the same way if Tammer was down there - it's a contract he'd possibly take; money to explore a truly unique historical find. Our dwarf really wouldn't listen to sense though and he insisted that Lyri should be put away in the cells in the torture chamber - yuck!

Tired of arguing I left them to it, becoming quite sure that Lyri could probably look after herself, I had a mercenary, a goblin hero and Nualia to find and deal with afterall. Turns out I wasn't wrong, we were barely down the corridor as we heard the clang of Glorli hitting the floor and swearing loudly. 'Accidentally' not hearing her getaway Es and I continued onwards with Tammer in tow, picking a door at random. Oh boy was it the wrong door at the wrong time:

1) Goblin wives 'servicing' a Bugbear should not be a scene witness by the human eye
2) Bugbears should never have nipple piercings - ever!
3) Having to fight a Bugbear wearing that little clothing is disturbing

To try to dull the mental trauma of all of that Tammer gave Es and me an unbearingly dull lesson in reproductive habits of gobinoids. While it helped quite a bit in calming my mind (thank the dietites for letting my brain shut down during lectures) I can't help but hope he didn't put me off sex for good though!

Next was the merc, Orik. He seemed like an ok guy who just took the wrong contract. So after a brief chat we told him that Lyri had left and he seemed more than eager to follow, so we let him and thankfully Glorli

didn;t spot his exit, I doubt we'd hear the end of it if our dwarf knew we'd let two of the people working in Thistletop, regardless of the fact they did nothing wrong.All that done, all was left wassearching a couple more rooms and finding Nualia. Before we found the crazy demon lady we found her bedroom and Es and I fell in love! Nualia had a huge King Size bed that appeared to be collapsable. That so came home with us! To save on arguements we're sharing it.

Descending another layer into the older parts of Thistletop we found no end of interesting things, walls you need to pay to bypass, scary traps and of course Nualia and her scary, painful sword. I'm sure I caused her quite a lot of damage before everything went black and Es and Tammer defeated her.

Oh! And then my 'healing'! I have no idea where to start with explaining that one. The last thing you expect to experience after falling unconscious from your severe wounds is a gentle kiss against your lips! Tammer kissed me! There's so much I want to write about that right now but I can't, damn you Es and your meddling and being able to find my diary! I so need to learn a language she doesn't know to write down my thoughts in utter privacy. Sigh.

So other than that there was the creepy room of fiery doom that we firmly locked until we can go back with reinforcements, a wonderful horse I liberated (I called him Misty!) and a giant crab living in a giant helmet - surreal. Oh! And the living shadows that almost killed Deivan so I had to rescue him. Those things were truly evil! One touch from them was like feeling your soul drain away, it destroys your will and saps your strength. On the plus side it meant I could slap Deivan upside the head for risking himself against the shadows despite my telling him to get out of the room without the fear of accidentally snapping his neck.

On our way home we stopped by the hole with the 'yelling fish' and fed it a few pickles. Getting it to surface we got a better look at it, Tammer says it was a bunyip, or something like that and it has a lot of teeth. Deivan being his usual self decided to throw the entire barrel of pickles down the hole for it. Overbalancing he slipped and fell, almost becoming the bunyip's next meal. I just about grabbed him in time but wrenched my shoulder in the process. I swear keeping that boy away from death is a full-time job.

On our trip back I talked with Deivan a lot, we all did. He's decided to give up adventuring for the time being, possibly to join the watch to getsome more practice in combat, to get himself fit and deal with more minor problems in the town. A real hero of Sandpoint, who stays in Sandpoint. I think it will do him some good, all of the adventuring has just made him ill, a nervous wreck of a man. I really do wish him all the best.

More to come, but right now - sleep is needed!

Today was long, so very long. Es and I spent the day investigating things to do with the big temple of evil under the town, we thought it best to be all prepared for whatever may be waiting for us at Thistletop. After arguments over how to break up the day we decided we should start by seeking Father Zanthus' advice, evil temples need cleansing as soon as possible after all! I think we worried him. At least the church is aware now and the cleaning of the strange place can begin.

Next came the pre-lunch interrogation. This had been the main sticking point of our making plans for the day. I had really wanted to have words with Tsuto – we needed more information out of him and he so needed to be taught that you don’t hit girls, especially not the Mvashti sisters! So after much pouting I got Es to agree to make sure this happened earlier in the day rather than later.

Not early enough. It turns out he hung himself during the night. Apparently he’d seemed fine last night and then this morning the poor young watchman on duty found him. It was all sorts of shocking really, needless to say the guy on watch was shaken and upset, even hugs from Es and I weren’t enough of a distraction! We promised him drinks at The Dragon once his shift was over and soon left, it was pointless us getting in the way and making things worse for the poor watch, right?

So as it was too early for lunch as a chunk of our morning plans had, quite literally, died we decided to move ahead our visit to see the sage. Mr. Quink, he may be a little on the stuffy side but as we walked through town I realised how perfect he’d be for grandmother! They both love knowledge and her free spirit would balance out his stuffy nature! Es didn’t see it that way though, maybe the notion of old-people sex freaked her out, or maybe it was because it was my idea and not hers she seemed hellbent on ruining it before I even started trying to set them up.

So instead we got to talk about the matter at hand – the weird underground caverns, the statue of the angry red-skinned lady and that seven-pointed star. There was a lot of talk about his research, most of which passed me straight by and then something to do with a possible device and the important bit (I remember the important bits!) the symbol is ancient – possibly millennia old, that can’t be good!

Our worry only grew when we went home for lunch. Grandmother Mvashti thinks that the symbol is ‘wrong’, she really doesn’t like it, it feels unnatural to her. So not good. Then came the conversation about things that are wrong and the fact there are seven points. Of course it didn’t take long for the subject of sins to come up. We briefly discussed virtues and the schools of magic in the hopes that maybe it wasn’t so bad, but from what we’ve seen so far it seems sins would be a good guess.

And now I can’t help but try to work out what, if any, sins I’m guilty of. Will they be used against me? ..and what are my friends sins? Will I need to be aware of them if we’re going to look into this even more?

With this in mind we decided to see what Tammer had found out. We really didn’t spend enough time in the Academy growing up, it took us much too long to find the library again. Still, we eventually found the room full of books and a rather engrossed bard. He puts my and Es’ interest to shame! Eventually tearing his attention away from his research into ancient cultures and the like we got to share all of our news with him. It seems he’s harbouring the idea, and the hope that the seven-pointed star has something to do with the schools of magic as well. Maybe it’s because I don’t do magic that I just can’t see it being that. Or maybe I’m too dark for my own good sometimes!

Next, something we’d been putting off all day – visiting Ameiko. Poor Ami, first her father and now this with her brother. By the time we arrived at the Kaijitsu manor of course the watch had already told her but at least we were there to offer our condolences and to give her hugs and offers of shoulder to cry on, ears to listen.. for today at least and then when we get back from Thistletop.

Other than that there was the visiting of Deivan (who got to work a full day on his family’s market for a change) and Glorli (who got to do a full day in his forge without us interrupting!), making plans for leaving for Thistletop tomorrow and spending some time in the Rusty Dragon.

The watchman who found Tsuto did indeed turn up so there were a lot of hugs and drinks bought for him. Then having finished work Deivan showed up, but wow did he smell! He’s a nice guy but he really, he needs to learn that a gallon of cologne will not remove the scent of fishmarket, it’ll just make him smell like a teenage fish that’s getting geared up for it’s first big date. Things got worse.

I don’t know what I did to Deivan on our ‘date’ or since but he seemed to be out to upset me tonight. First he tells everyone in the inn that he thinks I’m scary – ouch! Then he starts complaining about his family and wishing he was a Scarnetti!! Did he just entirely miss the fact sis and I are Varisian, does he know nothing about the town’s history or did he just want to upset and annoy me again? I’m really not sure.

Scary.

Maybe I should stop kicking monsters so forcibly in the head, even my friends are starting to think of me as weird for it. The more I do this the less likely it seems that people will see me as woman, more that indeterminate generic fighter. You know the sort that has a reputation as a warrior so nobody is interested in getting close to them because they’ll just die on you.

Oh well, I should sleep, I need to be up early for this Thistletop thing tomorrow.

Ow! So much ow! Today was one of the most taxing days both physically and emotionally. I find it hard working out where to start! I guess I should start at the start - Es and I got up and decided to start our day with some patrolling, we promised we would afterall and a morning stroll is always good. We only made it two steps though, as no sooner had we stepped foot outside the door were we approached by a distressed Bethana Corwyn. She had arrived at the Dragon only to find Ameiko wasn't there, usually the lovely Ami would be starting breakfast. More than a little worried the Beth explored and brought the sole clue she found straight to us.

The clue? A letter from Tsuto. Ami's half brother, I had no idea he was even anywhere near Sandpoint after his falling out with his remaining family. In his letter he asked her to meet him at the glassworks so of course without delay we gathered our fellow 'heroes' and made our way to the glassworks. Excited over maybe meeting Tsuto - half-elven male Ameiko? He was bound to be attractive! - and hoping that maybe Ami and he were just catching up and had completely lost track of time I made took one delivery door with Tammer for backup whilst Es took the other with Deivon and Glorli.

I tried the secret knock Tsuto had mentioned in his letter, but no luck. It was then an idea struck Tam and I, the roof! Looking in the skylights would help us work out what was going on. Nothing could have prepared us for what we were about to see though. More goblins, laughing, dancing and playing with the remains of the glassworkers all around Ameiko's father, sat watching them.. covered entirely in glass. Not wanting to endure the horrific sight any longer we broke through the skylights, landing on those foul little creatures and made quick work of ending all of their lives, awful things they are.

My excitement at the notion of meeting Tsuto quickly became dread - who else would or could have done this? I know he had a hard life, but covering a family member in molten glass? They may not be related by blood, or saw eye to eye but still - yikes!

So then we started exploring. As always when we got to a turning with two doors Es and I took one each. I found a strange tunnel and of course the Desnan curiousity took hold and I just had to start exploring. I was only part way down the tunnel when I heard it, poor Es had walked into trouble with her door and I heard her crying out in pain. Running, tumbling and leaping past all of my friends who had gotten themselves between me and her I got to the other door only to be faced with Tsuto. I kicked him as hard as I could but the next thing I knew he'd punched me in the face and was making a run for it. What kind of man punches girls just for opening a door? I'm so glad we knocked him unconscious - he deserved it, boy did he hit hard.

So, while the boys secured him and set about contacting what remains of the watch in the city, I can't wait until Sheriff Hemlock is back I get the feeling that we're going to need as many watchpersons around as we can get our grubby little hands on, Es and I searched the remains of the downstairs storerooms and found poor Ami tied up on the floor. So we took her back to the Dragon for drinks, Deivan and Glorli dealt with Tsuto whilst Tammer set about translating Tsuto's journal for further clues.

Ugh. That journal. It was awful! Sketches of Nualia, some with demonic features, plans for goblin raids and other awful, terrible things that sickened me. How are there people like that in a town without us ever realising? It chills the blood.

So after making sure Ami was alright and having to deliver the awful news over her father it was back to our heroing, we had a tunnel to explore afterall.

Down the tunnel... I think 'creepy' easily sums it all up. Weird monstery things with oddly hinged jaws that were overly bitey and slobbery, the undead and then there was Coruvus, or what was once Coruvus hero of the Seven Tooth tribe of goblins that had gone missing. When Shaylu had told us about Coruvus I'd been eager to find him, to take his magical sword as a trophy but I hadn't expected what he'd become. Huge, deformed, extra limbs (including an extra little leg on his head) spewing acidic blood and weilding 3 impressive looking weopns. of course being overenthusiastic I dived in to fight him and the next thing I know I'm hit by several weapons and everything goes black. I almost died at the hands of a monsterous deformed goblin-thing! As adventurers deaths go it would have been a bit lame wouldn't it, if I have to have a heroes death I'd rather it be an ancient dragon or something after I've beat it up a lot!

Of course after being healed from that everyone started treating me as though I was a really fragile, delicate little incompetant. I was forced to the middle of the group for exploring and wasn't allowed to open any more doors. It was humiliating. I hate that it's known that I'm so strong now, but I think I hate being treated as a frail little flower more.

So, more exploring, weird starshaped emblems, a flying head thing, a rather cool room you could go floating in and a weird red statue later we found the temple to Lamashtu and the cleric that maintained it. The strange floaty thing in a gown and tiara that Tam tells us was a quasit or something. it was an interesting fight, she was a pain to hit but I was just about damaging her and then she went and decided to fly up high, cheating little wench. So, with a little help from me Tam decided to be all heroic and launch himself up at the quasit and wrapped it up in his scarf. How are we ever going to conveince the world that Deivan is the hero if Tam keeps doing all the impressive things? From then on it got a lot easier, well it got easier after I came back into the fight after being forced to run by some weird fear mind effect thing. After stamping on the bag it stopped moving, thank Desna, I'm glad we're rid of the strange creature.

Then, starting to feel a little dizzy from exertion we started to investigate the weird pool in the temple. The quasit had dropped some blood in it so of course Tam just had to cut himself and drop blood in it to see what would happen. He really needs to stop putting himself in danger! Next thing we know there's another one of the weird jawed bitey things crawling out of the pool which we dealt with and the pool started to glow less. So, we repeated the process a coule more times to be sure we rid that pool of it's dark magic.

...and I think that's it. Weird day huh? From there it was time for drinks, despite everyone's insistance I should lie down instead. Which was silly. I'm fine, really.

So now Tsuto's diary is deceiphered we know the next thing we have to do is head to Thistletop, we need to nip the potential problem of another goblin invasion in the bud before we lose Sandpoint to goblins and flame. If someone told me a little over a week ago that my life would get this exciting, complex and dangerous I'd never have believed them! I'm sure I'd have been excited and optimistic though so I need to stick with those feelings! This is going to be fun if a little crazy, but what's life without a few risks?

Today has been dull beyond the telling. Even more so considering tomorrow is going to be so much fun! Swallowtail Release, consecration of the new cathedral and our eighteenth birthday! Presents and drinks are in store! I'm sure Desna will grant good dreams tonight.

Well.. where to start? The day started well, who'd have thought it would all go so wrong?

The start of festivities were spectacular as expected and although nobody mentioned in their grand speeches that it was our birthday but at least the church gave Esme the day off so we could celebrate together. I think we got a lot more drinks brought for us than last year, Deivan being a big culprit for it. All Esme had to do was mention Gin and suddenly there was a whole bottle sat before us! Of course that disappeared into the folds of Esme's scarf to be argued over later!

I'm starting to think we're loosing our touch though, even Esme's pointed comments over our liking jewellery didn't yield gifts. I can't complain much though, the drinks and attention were gift enough on a very special Swallowtail, as much as we try we really can't compete with the gods just yet!

Glorli offered me a gift though, making him officially the sweetest dwarf alive in my books. All I'd said was that I envied Esme's starknives and the next thing I know I have another drink and an offer from Glorli to make me a weapon! Aww!

Tammer was in a dour mood, in hindsight I should have checked up on him but he's been quite dark and broody a lot lately. Maybe something reminded him of something from his past, that or his twin had annoyed him before disappearing off to celebrate elsewhere. Still, his mood at least brought out some dark wit that was worth giggling at.

So there's the good. Onto the bad. Festivities are in full swing as this awful, squeaky, bonechilling song starts to fill the air. Then came the screams, I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life! Tiny shadows scurried around the crowded square and the next thing I know young Kethri's dog is falling at my feet, slit across the throat.

It was then I spotted one of them, disgusting little goblinoid giggling at it's antics. Well, instinct and training took over I guess, I ran across the square and kicked it's little smug face. The cracking sound of his neck breaking was awful but at least it wasn't going to harm anyone else.

It got worse from there. Lots of fighting with disgusting little critters throughout the town's streets. Worst of all it was a festival day so I was barefoot for dancing - goblin brains on your foot is not nice!!

We scared them off though, and as an added bonus we saved a rather dashing stranger, Aldern Foxglove. One look from Esme told me she was thinking the same thing I was, I think we've found another one that may result in a few squabbles before one of us (probably me again!) takes a step back.

After that it was a few subdued drinks and Esme and I planning a second birthday this year as this one wasn't great..

Today Esmerelda and I got to spend more time with Aldern, Deivan and Tammer in The Rusty Dragon which was fantastic fun, we even got belated birthday gifts from Deivan, beautiful silver brooches, looks like Esme's hint sunk in with someone afterall! Esme kept embaressing me though, now the town knows I can fight I get the feeling I'll get the reputation as the 'butch' one, something my lovely sister was all too ready to encourage. Tammer at least tells the story really nicely, I still sound like a dancer and not someone who caved in a goblin leader's skull with one kick! I really need to thank him for that!

Aldern invited us to hunt with him tomorrow too, so of course I leapt at the opportunity, a chance to get to know him more - how could I resist? He even bought us horses! Esme and I now have a beautiful pair of blacks with white manes and stars on their heads, almost as though they were destined for us - although Esme wants to paint the white star on hers a little so it will match mine exactly.

Of course it being Moonday Esme had to run off to work at Desna's temple which gave some some time alone with the boys, which was an amazing change! I feel a little guilty as ordinarily I'd be dancing in the celebrations alongside her but it's not my job and spending some time with the men back in the Dragon was a bit more appealing. The feeling was shortlived however as Esme arrived back in record time - I think maybe she didn't trust me with Aldern..

Oh well, huting tomorrow, I'll hopefully get to know Aldern a bit better then.

I think Aldern actually likes me! He had a bit of that look that men sometimes get around me and Esme and I can't help but be a little excited. The other boys seemed a little put out by our interest in Aldern, but really how often do we get to meet such new and interesting people?

The hunting itself was a little disappointing, I think Glorli and I were hoping for more of a challenge from the local boars, maybe we should hunt further afield next time.

It's been a little while since my last entry but I've been a little busy and I had to find a new hiding place for this book - I think Esme has been snooping and has found it again! So I had to put off writing as I'm sure she's watching me like a hawk to get the new location of my diary!

So, things I've been up to. Firstly I got my birthday gift from Glorli, it's a truly beautiful starknife - it's even more beautiful that he made it himself, I'm nowhere near as skilled with them as Esme but I still love it!

Tammer appears to have perked up over the past few days, I think getting out of town hunting did him the world of good, travelling always does wonders for the soul. Well it's that or all the female interest he's getting now he's a hero!

And speaking of interest Deivan asked me out! Esme almost died laughing when I told her but I don't care he was just so shy and sweet over it I couldn't say no. We had food, it was nice and we're much better friends now. So not for me but I'm sure he'd make a good boyfriend for someone - I'm really feeling the urge to play matchmaker on this one!

And then the bad news, Aldern has gone home. I gave him a hug goodbye and promised I'd keep in touch which I really will do. It's a shame I didn't have time to get to know him better, but who knows? Maybe in time I'll visit him if we manage to keep in contact and after that who knows? I'm especially optimistic as Esme appears to have lost interest, although I don't know if that should actually make me suspiscious rather than optimistic!