Tarsakh 30th, 1376
The stone forest
After defeating the black pudding, we decided to stop and take a well-deserved rest not far past the acid cave. It seemed we had been walking for countless hours in the dark since we had left the surface.
This morning, we continued our journey. We are not sure exactly where we’re going, other than we have to head down, and south. Raguhl is our guide, as he is the fastest among us, and can most easily see tracks or hidden signs on the ground. So far, we’ve kept following the main tunnel in these depths, ignoring smaller fissures that are branching off into the shadows.
We progress slowly at a rate of perhaps one mile per hour. These underground tunnels are treacherous terrain. Ulfgar and I are slowing down the others because of our heavy armors. Although I’m still maintaining the illusion that I am dressed as a Crimson Pirate captain, my armor still retains its normal weight.
“Are we even sure we’re taking the right path?” grumbled Ulfgar. “There are so many damn tunnels in this place!”
“Yes, peculiar, isn’t it?” replied Sparkie. “One might wonder why there are so many tunnels in the ground below Faerun. The answer is simple: magic! Indeed, the Weave itself creates these long holes, thus allowing the very earth to breathe.”
The dwarf answered with a grunt. “What, like earth farts?”
“No, not at all. Like the pores of the skin.”
Eventually, we reached a large cave. A great number of stalactites hung from the ceiling. A great chasm opened before us, deeper than even Ulfgar’s darkvision could see. To our left, a narrow ledge wound its way down toward what we thought was the bottom of the cave. It looked moist and quite slippery, though. After discussing it for a few moments, we agreed that it looked like the perfect place for an ambush. Lagaan and I decided to explore the bottom of the cave; I levitated down using my magical boots, and he climbed down the wall, using his magical slippers.
Seventy feet below, we reached a petrified forest. It was quite an amazing sight… It looked like we were in a regular forest, except that the trees were all made of stone.
“I wonder how this has happened,” I said. “Perhaps a monster such as a basilisk lives here and transformed those trees.”
“Nah, impossible,” replied Lagaan. “Their power doesn’t work on plants.”
I shrugged, unsure whether the thief really knew what he was talking about. We gave a signal to the others, and they joined us, gently floating down thanks to a Feather Fall spell from Sparkillo.
We carefully started walking through the petrified forest. After a few moments, we were attacked! From the shadows came several slimy tentacles. Everyone except Raguhl got gripped by them, and we were dragged further into the shadows, where a large and menacing silhouette stood. As we were brought closer, we saw that our assailant looked like a gigantic stalagmite with a mouth…
“A roper!” exclaimed Sparkillo.
“How do we kill it?” growled Ulfgar, who was struggling to escape the tentacle’s grasp.
“Hack at it with your axe!” replied the wizard.
“Kind of hard… with arms… stuck!!”
My companions and I were grappled by the tentacles, and we were striving to escape the bondage. The appendages seemed to be coated with a sticky resin that tingled painfully when it touched the skin: probably some kind of poison? Jakara and Lagaan seemed greatly weakened by the substance. Nevertheless, Lagaan wiggled his way out of the thing’s grasp and escaped in the darkness. Sparkillo was able to cast a spell without even moving his arms, but the Cone of Cold had no effect on the monster, which was very resistant to magic.
Try as I might, I couldn’t move my arms, and therefore, couldn’t cast any of my most powerful spells. So I gathered my will and used one of my most simple spells: “Drop!” I shouted at the monster, commanding it to obey me. And it worked, the tentacles all let us fall to the ground of the cave, where we quickly got back to our feet. Ulfgar and Jakara charged the monster, but failed to harm it: its skin seemed very resistant. Seeing that the monster was once again sending its tentacles out to grab us, I hid behind a large stalagmite, and managed to elude it.
Daring to take a look toward our foe, I saw that most of my companions had been taken captive again. Lagaan and Sparkie had run away into the darkness, out of the monster’s reach, but now even Raguhl was grappled, and he seemed badly weakened as well. Roaring, he nonetheless managed to escape the roper’s grasp and slice off one tentacle, but the thing immediately regenerated. As the new appendage flew toward Raguhl, I whispered a dark prayer and touched it, casting a Slay Living spell on it. But alas, even though I felt the powerful discharge of energy leave my body, it did not affect the creature at all: such was the power of its spell resistance…
Thankfully, Sparkillo was luckier than I was, and out of the shadows came the fiery beams of one of his Scorching Ray spells. The three rays blasted the roper, which immediately caught fire and shrieked in agony, its tentacles flailing wildly in all directions. Despite his weakened state, Lagaan ended its suffering with a few well-placed arrows.
We had defeated a terrible foe… After I was done healing the strength that had been sapped from Lagaan, Jakara and Raguhl, we searched the cave for treasure. As we had guessed, the monster had accumulated valuable items from its many victims. We found a scepter of ivory and silver, some platinum pieces and garnets within the monster itself (Raguhl cut the corpse open with his greatsword), as well as three mighty magical items: a flail, a cloak and a staff.
We found a way out of the cave and kept on walking for many hours. Eventually, we grew so tired that we decided to take a break for the night. Sparkillo summoned a Rope Trick, and we all hid inside. There, he identified our treasure. The flail is powerful against undead. Ulfgar took the cloak of resistance, and Sparkillo will keep the staff of frost for himself. It is a beautiful item, made of clear crystal which permanently emits a thin vapor. It can be a deadly weapon in the hands of our wizard.
Greengrass holiday, 1376
The Cerulean Curtain
It’s ironic that we find ourselves so deep underground, surrounded by this menacing darkness on all sides, today of all days. Greengrass is the greatest holiday for many religions, a time of communion with nature. At least, I think it’s Greengrass today. It’s hard to keep track of time in this perpetual darkness.
I summoned another Heroes’ Feast for us this morning.
“Whew, that’s too big a meal to start the day,” complained Lagaan, ungrateful as ever.
“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, my dear,” I reminded him.
I noticed that Ulfgar ate with great appetite. When under the soothing effects of those meals, he’s not affected by his terrible claustrophobia.
Once the meal was over, we exited the extra-dimensional hole and got ready to continue our journey. Ulfgar told us he believed we were now about two thousand feet below ground. Before we left, though, Raguhl inspected the ground and grunted.
“Hmm… Some creatures have been here during the night. Big ones… Four of them… Their tracks are weird… Like big, heavy insects that walk on two feet.”
“It’s a good thing we slept in the Rope Trick,” said Lagaan.
“Those must’ve been some Umber Hulks,” said Sparkillo. “They are dangerous creatures with great physical strength, but who can also induce madness with a mere gaze! We were indeed fortunate not to cross their paths.”
We continued walking on our dark path for several hours, expecting to run into the four Umber Hulks at any time. It would’ve been easy for some fiends to lay an ambush for us: our lights only illuminated a small area around us, and everywhere beyond was an oppressive sea of utter darkness…
Eventually, the tunnel widened into a large cavern which was cut in two by a glowing curtain of magical blue light. The thing was translucent, and beyond, we saw that a tunnel opened in the far wall of the cave and continued toward what we thought was our destination. Within the curtain itself moved the shapes of Olman warriors in full battle regalia, their faces twisted in silent screams. All of us could hear faint whispers on the edge of our consciousness… As though we heard the ancient echoes of whatever battle those savages had been fighting.
“What is this?” I asked the others, but they all looked as baffled as I was. I cast a Detect Magic spell, and saw that an overwhelming aura emanated from it. We debated whether or not to cross it, and I decided to ask for the guidance of Umberlee.
“How can we safely cross the curtain?” I asked her after performing the Divination ritual. Her answer came swiftly:
“The weak old Olman god of weather shed a tear that fell on Golismorga. Thus was created the Cerulean Curtain before you. Go through it without fear, for your goal is on the other side. Your actions will dictate the future of the blue.”
I told the others what I had learned, and that the name of this god was Tlaloc. I wonder if he is still worshipped somewhere. Or is he a dead god, now that the Olman Empire has faded into oblivion?
“I have heard about Golismorga before,” said Jakara. “In the fearful whispers of the wise ones of my tribe… All I know is that it is a place of great evil.”
“Well, it seems we can cross it without fear,” I replied. “But we can never be too safe. Lagaan, why don’t you cross first?”
The thief shrugged and passed through the curtain without a care in the world. We saw that he emerged safely on the other side, and hadn’t been harmed or turned into anything unnatural. We all followed him then, and in the moment when we passed through the curtain, the whispers became amplified as if we stood among the warriors who moved along its surface. They spoke in Olman, which I now understand…
“We won!”
“No! The two faces watch the tide!”
“The maw flows forth to bite!”
“Madness has arisen where madness was…”
Once I was on the other side, the voices became mere unintelligible whispers once again. We continued in the dark tunnel. The whispers could still be heard all around us. It made the darkness even more eerie than before.
“It’s dryer here,” remarked Ulfgar after a while. “Notice how there’s no moisture on the walls. We don’t hear the sound of distant water dripping down… And there are no stalagmites or stalactites.”
“Do you think we got teleported somewhere completely different?” asked Lagaan.
The dwarf shrugged and looked at Sparkie, who also shrugged without a word. There was no way for us to know for sure, at least, not yet.
The mold maze
After about an hour, we reached an intersection which proved to be the first hard choice we had to make since we began our underground journey. Before us stood the entrances to three large tunnels. We debated which one to take for a few minutes, while Raguhl examined the floor for tracks. Eventually, he concluded that the one to the west was the most frequently-traveled one. He saw many tracks of humanoids going there. He said they were wearing boots, so we assumed they weren’t troglodytes or fish-men, at least… Intrigued, we decided to take the western tunnel and find out more about those people.
Around half an hour later, we reached a large cave with a flat ceiling which hung quite low, perhaps only ten feet above the ground. Parts of it had crumbled, and the cave was a veritable maze of boulders.
“Looks like the ceiling was weakened here,” said Ulfgar. “Someone collapsed part of the cave to create this maze.”
“Why?” asked Raguhl.
“This seems like a good spot for an ambush… let’s proceed cautiously,” I said.
Raguhl and Jakara led the way, following the tracks that all seemed to take the same path. We soon noticed that it was colder in this cave. Here and there, we noticed that the boulders were covered with patches of mold. Lagaan got too close to one at some point, and was sprayed with some nasty-smelling spores. He coughed loudly, but didn’t seem to suffer too badly from them.
A few minutes later, Ulfgar stopped us: “Watch out, I see a huge patch of mold on that boulder ahead of us. Probably more of that yellow mold that sprayed Lagaan.”
“How do we kill it?” asked the rogue.
Sparkie and Ulfgar shared a blank look: they clearly had no idea.
“Err… I guess we could try to burn it?” suggested Ulfgar.
Lagaan shot a flaming arrow at the patch ahead of us, but it had an unexpected effect: the thing GREW in size, and reached into the radius of our lights. We saw that it was in fact much darker that the one that had sprayed Lagaan, and we felt the temperature drop even more.
“Oh, this is brown mold!” said Sparkie. “It absorbs heat, it feeds on it.”
“So what if we hit it with cold?” asked Lagaan.
With a smile, Sparkillo brandished his newly-found staff of frost. “Let’s find out! I can summon a mighty ice storm to assail it!”
“Why don’t we just go around it?” suggested Ulfgar.
“NoooOoooo!” replied Sparkie in a childish tone. He was really quite eager to play with his new toy! With a wave of his staff and a few arcane words, he indeed created an ice storm which completely destroyed the mold. Once it was gone, we saw that only a few bones were left behind. We examined them, and saw that they looked almost human. Strange…
A dirty little town called Barbas
A while later, we finally left the maze, and the tunnel led us to another large cave with a high ceiling. Before us, a crude palisade of wood blocked the way to what looked like an underground settlement. We saw some lights and shapes on the battlements, and they shouted to each other in a strange language that seemed to be a mix of Common, Olman and Draconic. But of more immediate concern were the six troll-sized monsters that stood watch outside the gates: their bodies were covered in thick scales, and their arms were tipped with vicious-looking hooks. Black eyes within avian heads regarded us; they were filled with bloodlust.
“Those are Hook Horrors,” explained Sparkillo, who was used by now to telling us about the various creatures we encountered. “They are not evil, but are as aggressive as the most feral beasts, and therefore, very dangerous.”
“Are they evil outsiders?” asked Lagaan, eagerly gripping his bow.
“No…”
“Damn!”
We approached the stockade, and Raguhl called out: “We come in peace!”
But regardless of that, the Hook Horrors roared a challenge, and started charging us madly. Clearly, they had no interest in peace. Ulfgar, Raguhl and Jakara took up defensive positions at the front, and stood their ground as Sparkie and I unleashed our destructive magic in the form of a Fireball and an Ice Storm, respectively. Lagaan complemented this with his arrows.
The Hook Horrors were badly wounded by our assault, but kept rushing blindly to their deaths. The closest one reached Raguhl, and tried to claw him, but the nimble barbarian dodged the attacks, and retaliated with a deadly strike of his greatsword. Meanwhile, I killed three of the monsters at once with the powerful blast of a Freezing Sphere.
Sparkillo killed another one with Scorching Rays. The last brute kept advancing, seemingly oblivious to the tragic fate that had befallen its comrades. Four of Lagaan’s arrows lodged themselves in its shell, and finally, Raguhl pierced its throat with his sword. The large monster fell to the ground with a gurgling moan. Raguhl placed a clawed foot on its chest and pulled his sword out of the creature’s throat. Then, he turned back toward the stockade and shouted: “Like I said… We come in peace…”
Our display of power had the desired effect: we heard screams of panic coming from the towers, and from the settlement beyond. The supposedly deadly guardians of the village had been defeated in a manner of seconds…
“Better open that door if you want to keep it intact!” shouted Lagaan merrily before turning invisible.
Soon after that, the door opened to let us in. Ulfgar growled in frustration: he hadn’t gotten the chance to attack a single enemy yet. With a dwarven battle-cry, he started charging toward the gate, brandishing his axe menacingly.
“Ulfgar, what are you doing?” shouted Raguhl in a worried tone, as he dashed after the dwarf.
But thankfully, Ulfgar stopped when he reached the gate. A crowd of gathered villagers were fleeing to the safety of their homes, screaming wildly, thinking that Ulfgar was coming to butcher them. The dwarf looked at the fugitives and chuckled. “I was just kidding!” he yelled.
“You scared me, Ulfgar,” said Raguhl.
Ulfgar chuckled again. “You scare easily, my friend.”
Sparkie, Jakara and I followed the two warriors as they entered the village which sprawled over the entirety of the cave. We noticed that it was a dead end: the only tunnel leading out was the one we had entered through. Around us were dirty hovels, not as primitive or foul as those of Laogroat, but still truly miserable. They were made of rubble, moldy wood, dried mud and bone. A haze of spores, smoke and stink hung over the entire area. Here and there, stalagmites were decorated with dozens of torches, and some kind of glowing fungus grew on the walls as well. In some places, we saw some man-sized mushrooms that decorated the town in the same way as trees would do above ground.
Most of the villagers had retreated into their lowly homes, but we had caught glimpses of them as they fled. Most of them looked wretched, misshapen. A few of them were Lizardfolk, and the others seemed only vaguely human. They were mongrels… Mutants… All deformed in one way or another. Dirty, miserable creatures they were… Living here in this forlorn cave…
They all looked very scared of us. The few who carried crude spears bore them in trembling hands. They called for Headman Vertram in their crude jargon, and the leader of this miserable little town came to greet us. He looked more human than most, although he had no visible ears and an enormous nose. What’s more, he was an albino.
“We don’t want to attack you,” said Raguhl to try and calm them down. “We were attacked by your monsters. We are Trouble.”
“Yes, you very big trouble,” agreed the chieftain.
“We’re a band of adventurers,” tried to explain Raguhl.
Vertram exchanged a worried glance with the small man at his side.
“What’s wrong?” asked the barbarian.
“Errr… nothing…. Errr… welcome… Please don’t hurt us!” stuttered Vertram. He turned toward the villagers. “Gifts, you bring them all gifts! Finest things! Quick!”
The dirty villagers hurried inside their hovels, and brought out piles and piles of worthless junk that they heaped before us. They likely considered these their finest items, but to us, it was merely thrash. There were some dirty sheets of rough cloth, some bags containing scrap metal, stinky mushrooms piled on rusty iron platters, and tepid water in crude ceramic jugs.
“Really, there’s no need to give us anything,” protested Raguhl.
“Shush, Raguhl!” I said. “Let’s not insult our hosts. Yes, bring us more things, cave-dwellers! More, more!”
After a few more minutes, I spotted a few alchemical components that had been placed among the heaps of junk. Those would actually be useful in creating magical items, so I took them and placed them in a bag. Once that was done, I asked the leader: “It seems you are living in wretched conditions here. What did you say your name was?”
The albino tapped his chest with a fist. “I am leader of Barbas. Headman Vertram Zapataro.”
“I am Belessa Darkwave, and these are my companions Sparkillo, Ulfgar, Raguhl, and Jakara”. Lagaan was still invisible, most likely sneaking around.
“You take offerings. Will you leave now?” asked the Headman.
“Why are you so eager to get rid of us?” I asked.
“Not rid, is just … please… you welcome in Barbas…”
“Thank you. What is this place, you are all quite… unusual in your appearances.”
“Barbas is name of the place.”
“But you, you all look very different from one another. Different from us.” I pointed at one of them, possibly the ugliest of them all, a one-armed man with three long lolling tongues. “Look at this one with his horrible tongues. And that one… and that one.” One by one, they all cowered away when I pointed at them. Weaklings! “What happened to you?”
“We born like this…” answered Vertram in his whiny little voice.
“What’s the story of your community? How long have you been here?”
The headman seemed hesitant to answer me. Finally, he turned toward the small man next to him and exclaimed: “Maybe you can talk to him! Him will talk!”
“Who, me?” said the little man, his eyes growing wide.
“Yes, you priest! You know things!”
For some reason, those miserable low-lives were even afraid to speak to us.
“What is your name, priest?” I asked.
“Me Koopli… Koopli San.”
“And who do your worship?”
“Snake Father.”
I thought of several gods that had the aspect of a snake, but I wasn’t sure which one he was referring to. His holy symbol showed a python curled around a skull: I didn’t recognize it. “I never heard of your god, Koopli. Have you heard of Umberlee?” And I showed him my own symbol.
“Yes of course,” he replied too quickly.
“You don’t need to lie, your ignorance will not arouse my anger,” I assured him.
“Pff, you’re ignorant too,” said an annoying little voice from the thin air not far from me.
“Shut up, Lagaan,” I said absently before continuing to address the priest. “So deep below the earth, you are shielded from SOME of the influence of my goddess. Although her reach is long… as you saw, your minions all died a horrible death. They were foolish to attack us, but you seem much more sensible, aren’t you?”
“Yes, yes…” answered the mutants pathetically.
“We seek something in these depths: items of great power called Shadow Pearls. Have you heard about them?”
The priest looked even more worried than before. “Shadow Pearls, err… errr…. Yes, he knows!” he said quickly, pointing at the Headman.
Vertram looked terrified to be back at the center of our attention. “He knows too!” he quickly countered, pointing at an old lizardman.
Raguhl approached the creature. “Old one, you have no reason to fear,” he said. Compared to the hulking barbarian, the older reptile looked quite frail. “What do you know about Shadow Pearls?”
The creature replied in a voice that was hoarse with age: “The troglodytes come this way past the crossroads, go down central tunnel. Not often. Come back with big stones. And… he knows! He knows!” he said, pointing frantically back toward the priest.
“Yes, I know they bring death back with them at each trip,” admitted Koopli. “I saw in divinations. And ancient masters of the depths were vanquished by Tlaloc’s Tear. During the great war, many many centuries ago, the old masters were driven away, turned to stone. A new evil has awakened in the depths. A new evil, soon to be crushed. So says Father Snake.”
“Crushed by whom?” I asked. “By Trouble?”
“Certainly, absolutely, Trouble was the name I heard!” claimed the little priest.
It seemed like an easy lie, but he seemed to truly believe what he said. I smiled. “Of course it will be us. We are probably the mightiest creatures to come here in a long time. You have seen our power. Do you know the exact way to the temple where these evil ones live?”
“Yes, go down the central path, I know that… Go through the temple of the ancient ones, created by our ancestors, or so say the stories.”
“Your ancestors, were they Olman like him?” I asked, pointing at Jakara.
“So say the stories.”
“These stories, do you have them on paper? Written?”
I had to explain to him what paper was. He said they had nothing in writing.
“You maintain an oral tradition, then?”
“Oral? Oh, speak, yes, we speak!”
“I like oral…” said Ulfgar, very pertinently.
A bunch of the mutants immediately exclaimed: “He likes oral! He likes oral!” And they brought forth an ugly, hunchbacked woman with long greasy gray hair. “She has oral with you!” they assured the dwarf.
Now it was Ulfgar’s turn to look scared.
Realizing that perhaps they’d found a way to get rid of us, Vertram called out: “More girls! You bring more girls!”
I sighed at the silliness of the situation and addressed the leader of this miserable community: “Do you seriously think we would want to have contact with your hideous, deformed shapes? Please! You are monsters to our eyes!”
“Beauty is not the only thing that matters…” said Raguhl. He turned toward the old lizardman. “What about you, old one? What’s your story?”
“I was born here…”
“You never saw the light of the sun?”
“The sun… I heard stories about it…”
“Would you like to see it? Would you like to live above, in the forest, with more of our people?”
“If you wish.”
“No, if YOU wish. I can help you. I can lead you there.”
“You can help?”
“Yes.”
“Not kill?”
“Not kill. You can come to my tribe.”
The lizardman brightened. “Can they come?” he asked, pointing to the crowd of mongrels.
“Maybe,” answered Raguhl. “I would have to know them better.”
“Them good heart,” assured the old lizardman.
“I would have to talk to them first. If they are worthy, yes, they can come.”
Jakara whispered something in his ear. Raguhl then turned toward the crowd: “Would you all like to go above? It’s dangerous to travel there, I admit, but once you reach the destination, it might be safer than down here, and for sure it’ll be more pleasant.”
Sure enough, those fools didn’t seem too convinced. Their entire lives had likely been spent in this hell-hole. They had no idea what the sun, the wind, the trees felt like. They didn’t even realize how miserable their lives were. Besides, they were much too scared of us to come on a journey.
“Raguhl, why do you want us to waste our time bringing these low-lives to the world above?” I asked the lizardman. “They have adapted down here quite nicely, wouldn’t you say? We wouldn’t want to upset their miserable little routine, now would we?”
“It is true that you shouldn’t stray from your path,” said Jakara. “There isn’t time. You have your mission. I’ll take care of leading these people to a better place.”
Raguhl nodded at the savage. “You have a good heart, my friend. But will you be all right? You don’t have much in the way of weapons.”
“I’ll manage. These people have lived for a long time in this hostile region. They’re probably more skilled in combat than one might expect.”
”I guess we must part ways now, but I hope to meet you again.”
A new guide
Before leaving the village, we secured the help of one of the mongrels to serve as a guide: Koopli the priest was designated as a “volunteer” to assist us.
The little man led us through the mold-infested maze. “Me lead you to dangerous tunnel, where troglodytes go to meet with the fish-men,” he said.
“What do you know about these fish-men?” I asked.
“They great evil, that took place of greater evil. Stories say there was evil in the depths, and we were slaves to the evil. But the tear pushed away the water, and the evil turned to stone.”
Sparkie rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a few moments, and finally said: “Hmm, this ancient evil you speak of… those creatures must’ve been Aboleths…”
“What are Aboleths?” asked Lagaan.
“Ancient aquatic fiends who wield mysterious and terrible magic…”
Koopli turned to look at the elven wizard. “You interested in evil stones?”
“Well, we’re interested in knowing what happened here,” I replied.
“I can show you evil stones.”
“Where are they?”
“Down the path where the troglodytes go, is one.”
“Very well. Bring us to it,” I said.
I watched the little man take the lead in the darkness. It felt good to have a guide once more. Plus, if we ran into another black pudding, he would make a good bait.
When we returned to the intersection, Lagaan asked Koopli where the last tunnel was leading. We learned that it could bring us back to the surface, but the priest mentioned that, in all directions, one had to pass through the blue curtain.
“So it’s like a ward all around this region?” asked Lagaan.
“Blue curtain is all around the heart of evil. Put there by ancestors to defeat great evil.”
Ancient evil
Around two hours later, down the main tunnel, we reached another big cave. At the center of it stood the statue of a huge fish-like creature, which looked horribly malevolent. Even though it was petrified, we felt a sense of profound dread just at watching it. I recognized it from pictures I’d seen in a book of my religion, which described some of the deadliest lurkers of the deep seas…
“I was right,” said Sparkillo. “This is indeed an Aboleth.”
“We are lucky it’s petrified,” said Raguhl. “It looks like a terrible foe.”
Above us, a shimmering blue curtain of energy glowed, and we saw scaly shapes along its surface here and there. We understood that it served as a barrier for a large body of water. Were it to collapse for some reason, the entire cavern would get flooded. Like the first time we’d seen the Cerulean Curtain, we saw shapes of Olman warriors along its surface.
“Are these your ancestors?” I asked Koopli.
“Yes,” he replied.
“All this water… We must be below the lake of the central plateau,” I said.
We approached the petrified Aboleth. “These terrible beings are one of the most ancient races of the world,” explained Sparkillo. “Some say they are even older than the elves. They usually live at the bottom of the sea, or in deep submerged caverns. They are gifted with great mental powers, and they have enslaved entire races throughout their sinister history.”
“Are they evil outsiders?” asked Lagaan, eagerly gripping his bow.
“No…”
“Damn!”
“They still alive, even in stone,” said Koopli. “If you get close, you can hear the life inside them.”
Carefully, Lagaan and I approached and placed our ear against the cool stone. Indeed, we could hear the slow, dull beating of the creature’s heart within.
“And there are others like this?” I asked after a while.
“Yes, our scouts reported seeing few others. These stones are petrified great evil of the past, which enslaved us. But they were turned to stone by the ancestors with the Tear of the God. Now other evil things live here. The other stones the scouts have seen are closer to the city of the fish-men.”
“Their city?” I asked.
“Yes, of the ancient evil, that is now home of the new evil.”
“The fish-men?”
“Yes.”
“How many live there?”
“We are not sure. We haven’t had any contact with them. Those that tried never returned.”
“Nobody ever even saw them?”
“Yes, some have seen.”
“What do they look like?”
“Green skin… same size as us… No head but face in torso… And tail with three spikes…”
“The Kopru!” we exclaimed, for we had already encountered such a creature while the Sea Wyvern was being repaired. The creature had been a terrible foe, which had summoned dire apes, and had also managed to control Raguhl’s mind and turn him against Penkus. If we faced an entire city of Koprus… Trouble was in deep trouble indeed…
Up until now, we had assumed that the fish-men wouldn’t be much more dangerous than the troglodytes. Sparkillo had spoken of creatures called Kuo-Toa, which, although vicious, didn’t sound nearly as dangerous as the Kopru had been. We finally guessed that the Lords of Dread had never been the relatively worthless troglodytes: they had been the Koprus all along!
“I think at this point, we should discuss in finer details what we want to achieve here, exactly,” I said to the others. “What is our goal? To take the pearls to a safe place?”
“We could break the pearls in the fish-men city and kill them all,” suggested Ulfgar.
“Might make them more powerful,” said Raguhl.
“Is that possible?”
“Yes.”
The dwarf shrugged. “Bah! We already dealt with the aftermath of a Shadow Pearl, back in Kraken’s Cove…”
“Yes,” said Sparkillo, “but we only fought the mutant versions of little monkeys and mundane pirates. Not mutated Koprus…”
“But what are we going to do with the Shadow Pearls themselves?” I asked again. “Do we have a way to safely destroy them? Or do we hope merely to contain them?”
“The pearls are not everything we should be concerned about,” replied the wizard. “This Aboleth is another concern for us. It’s still alive. It’s only temporarily petrified because of the absence of water.”
“So it could still come back to life if there was water…” said Ulfgar.
Lagaan chuckled, and with his usual childish behavior, offered to pee on the statue.
“That’s not water…” growled the dwarf.
“But the water on the ceiling is contained by magic,” I observed. “If this magic somehow gets dispelled, the Aboleth will be restored… along with perhaps the rest of its kin.”
“That’s what the tear did!” said Lagaan, suddenly realizing how the pieces of the puzzle fit together. “It removed the water from this section of the Underdark, so the Aboleth would be turned to stone. That’s why it’s dry here.”
“Right!” I agreed. “But there was water in Barbas…” I turned toward Koopli. “How is that possible?”
“Water very rare,” replied the small priest. “Us in city cast Create Water every day.”
“We should destroy the Aboleth now,” stated Raguhl. “While it’s defenseless. Let’s not take any chances.”
“Why?? It’s been here for a thousand years!” said Lagaan.
“Yes, but it will come back to life if there’s water that gets released, like Belessa said. We shouldn’t take the chance.”
“Who cares?” replied the rogue. “That thing’s been there for a thousand years. It’s going to hold for another thousand.”
I chuckled at the young thief. “How do you know?”
“I think we should destroy it,” said Raguhl grimly. For once, I agreed with him.
The barbarian approached the enormous petrified Aboleth and struck it with his holy blade. Chips of stone flew in every direction. He struck again, and again, and finally, he managed to destroy part of the thing’s head. Within, disgusting organs still writhed with life. Raguhl chopped them off, until finally, we felt confident that if the Aboleth were submerged in water, it would be in too pitiful a state to come back to life.
The priest looked at this in fear, and then asked for our permission to return to Barbas. We allowed him to do so, and he ran off into the darkness.
Menace of the Pearls
Once he was gone, I turned back toward my companions and once again spoke what was on my mind: “What’s our goal, exactly? To stop the production of Shadow Pearls, but how? We don’t know exactly how they’re created. Is there one big creature that makes them, like a chicken lays eggs? If so, we should kill that creature, and take the Shadow Pearls that already exist and bring them back with us to a safe place…”
“Why?” asked Ulfgar.
“So they don’t fall into the wrong hands.”
“Why don’t we destroy them?”
“If we do that, they’ll explode and create their aura of chaos in this region.”
“We can do that, as long as it’s in a controlled environment, like these caves. Once it’s done, we can get the hell out of there.”
“By teleporting out?”
“Or using a Rope Trick?” suggested Lagaan.
“I wonder what would happen if we destroyed them inside a Rope Trick,” I said. “And once the Rope Trick disappears, will the pearls’ chaos remain behind?”
“The effects of the pearl are instantaneous, they don’t linger,” said Lagaan.
“Oh no?”
Sparkie didn’t seem sure: “As long as the gas dissipates somehow… But once the Rope Trick vanishes, the gas will spread out in the area, with less force than through its initial explosion like what happened in Kraken’s Cove, but still, its effects would remain for a while, and spread out.”
“Right,” replied Ulfgar. “If we break the pearls in a cave, it will fill up the cave, then eventually disappear.”
Lagaan’s face lit up as if he’d just had a brilliant idea: “We could open a gate to Tanathos and toss the pearls in there!”
We all had a good laugh at that one…
“That might be the best idea yet,” said Sparkillo, “although some malevolent beings might get their hands on them on the other side. By the way, among the things the Witch Wardens have learned from studying the Pearl that Vanthus almost unleashed in Farshore, is that undead and demons are immune to its effect.”
I shrugged. “Whatever… I guess they won’t mind, then, if we dump the pearls in their homeland.”
“We could try to dump them in the Dragon-Turtle’s mouth,” suggested Ulfgar with a grin.
Lagaan whistled. “He would become a REALLY dangerous foe if we did that… unless he resisted their influence… Could happen, since a few people resisted it already… Like Vanthus, and Harliss.“
It seemed we didn’t have a clear idea WHAT to do with the Pearls just yet, since we didn’t know exactly how they were created, or what we were up against. We decided to continue our journey and hope that a clear course of action would present itself later on. We walked for two more hours in the darkness. Raguhl was our guide once again. We could still hear the whispers all around us… It was most unnerving.
I wonder what it must’ve been like for these mongrels, to spend their entire lives in this darkness, and to hear these whispers all day, every day, since the time they were born. What truly miserable lives they live…
The helpful ghost
Eventually, we reached a part of the tunnel that was made of worked stone, in a style that reminded us of the Olman constructions where we had fought the gargoyles, high up in the mountains on the eastern edge of the island. The corridor led us to a large room whose bottom half was completely flooded. Its ceiling was an inverted ziggurat with a great glyph that glowed with a blue light. The tops of some broken pillars could be seen over the surface of the water, forming some kind of crude bridge that might’ve been used to reach the opposite end of the room, where the dark tunnel continued.
To our left was a platform bearing an altar. As we examined the place, a ghostly shape suddenly materialized on the platform: it looked like a troglodyte, and addressed us in Common: “Oooh… You are here… Adventurers who have come from the high places of the above world. Have you come with Irgzid Uzeye?”
I shared an embarrassed look with my companions. “Well, we started our journey with him,” I said.
“… then he got eaten by a big pudding,” added Lagaan.
“What a shame,” said the ghost.
“Yeah, he was pretty likeable,” said Lagaan.
“… For a troglodyte,” I added.
“I am N’Gloth Noru. You are heroes who have come from afar. Why have you come here?”
“We were just asking ourselves that same question not long ago…” admitted Lagaan.
“To bring justice,” I replied, then turning to give my companions a sneaky little wink. “To save the world of Faerun!” I added boldly.
“Ahhh… You have come to stop the production of Shadow Pearls…” stated the ghost.
“The Shadow Pearls!” said Raguhl.
“The Shadow Pearls!” said Sparkie.
“The Shadow Pearls…” I said. “Yes, we have.”
“That is good,” said the ghost, “for great evil is being created down that path.” He pointed the tunnel on the opposite side of the room. ”The Kopru are true monsters. They create the Pearls in Golismorga, the city of madness. They need to be stopped: they are perverting everything, everyone.”
“Can you tell us anything to help us in our quest?” I asked.
“Yes… For I know much. I know how the Kopru, with their evil pearls, have twisted the minds, souls and bodies of my people, whom you call the troglodytes. Just as they will twist those of all humans, elves, dwarves and lizardmen. A long time ago, long, long ago, this Underdark was ruled by others, the Aboleths, but now, they’ve been driven out by Tlaloc’s Tear. The Tear still rests at the heart of Golismorga, weakening after all those centuries. The Tear didn’t do all that it was meant to do. It chased away the water, immobilizing the Aboleths. It was also meant to dispense a wave of goodness that would’ve hallowed the entire region. But this second stage never came to happen. As a matter of fact, my understanding is that the evil Kopru studied this Tear when they came later, and from it devised ways of twisting its magic and reversing it, and so doing, learning to create Shadow Pearls. But if you were to destroy the Tear, all the water would rush in and the Koprus would be crushed to death. In so doing, you would release the last phase of the Tear that wasn’t triggered so long ago when it should have, hallowing the entire place and thus making the production of Shadow Pearls nigh-impossible.”
“Don’t the Koprus live underwater?” I asked, perplexed.
“That is true, but the rushing of the water would disturb their production.”
I didn’t buy it. Something about this ghost’s speech sounded really fishy. Why would a troglodyte give us this information? Why would a troglodyte, an undead troglodyte mind you, want this place to be hallowed? And I thought it was quite convenient that the ghost suggested to us a course of action that would destroy an artifact that had vanquished and imprisoned the Aboleths for so long. Destroying the Tear might prove an inconvenience to the Koprus, but I strongly doubted it would prove a permanent obstacle for the production of Shadow Pearls. What’s more, incidentally, it would make it a lot harder for air-breathing people like us to go and stop them. And even worse, the ghost’s plan had the annoying side-effect of freeing an unknown number of potentially deadly Aboleths from their centuries-old slumber. That did not seem like a wise thing to do at all…
I discussed this in hushed tones with my companions. Lagaan and Sparkillo believed the ghost’s tale to some degree, but they agreed with me that destroying the tear would free the Aboleths, and that it was unacceptable. Ulfgar and Raguhl seemed uncertain whether to believe the spectre or not.
“I hear your thoughts and I understand your questions,” said the ghost. “I am not myself really a troglodyte; only a manifestation of the tormented spirits of this realm.”
“Is that supposed to inspire confidence?” asked Ulfgar.
“Errr… I don’t know,” replied the ghost. “I just want to tell you that I am only a manifestation of the suffering that was felt due to the evil in this place. I just want to help you break the Shadow Pearls.”
“So you weren’t an actual living creature at any point?” I asked dubiously.
“No, I’m just the sum of some residual life energy of various creatures.”
“How come you have a name, then?”
“Because… people need to address me by a name when they pass here.”
“Why here, what is this place?” asked Ulfgar.
“When the Olmans triggered Tlaloc’s Tear, they came here and they rejoiced at seeing that the water had been pushed away and the Aboleths beaten.”
“How come there’s water here?” asked Lagaan.
“This place was dedicated to their god in thanks for its help in what had been accomplished. They flooded it with water in thanks for the fact that there was no water in large quantities anywhere else in the area. The Koprus live on the other side of this room. They rarely cross over; this is the room where they make deals with the troglodytes, which is maybe why I unknowingly took the shape of a troglodyte, though it could have been that of a member of a different race.”
“What is it you want, exactly?” I asked of the ghost. “Why do you want to help us?”
“I want to break the cycle of evil, made by the Aboleths, then the Koprus and their Shadow Pearls.”
“And do you know what the Shadow Pearls are ultimately used for?”
“I only know that they will usher a dark age for the world.”
“And the Koprus create these pearls like any magical items? They craft them, basically?”
“I know not the details of how they’re made, for they are crafted deep within the city.”
Eventually, we retreated back in the tunnel we’d come from. We decided to rest for the night within a Rope Trick. I also sought the guidance of Umberlee through two Divinations.
My first question was: “How should I handle Tlaloc’s Tear?”
Her response was: “Leave the despicable goodness held by this tear alone, for its sickening benevolence would weaken you as it would the Kopru.”
Then I asked: “What is the best way to permanently stop the production of Shadow Pearls?”
Umberlee replied: “Stop the creation of the black bile of the world. Enter Holashner’s Ziggurat and kill the parasite gnawing through the vitals of the world, the elder evil, the hunger below, the perverted horror.”
I described to my friends what I had learned: that it would be unwise to destroy the Tear, and that there was some kind of vile monster, as I had guessed, that was essential in creating the Pearls. By destroying this fiend, we would succeed in our mission. Lagaan was, as usual, difficult to convince, since he (rightfully, I admit) suspected that I did not reveal all that I had learned in the first divination, but eventually, I think I was able to convince even him of the way to proceed.
Mirtul 1st, 1376
Everything looks like a nail
The following morning, after eating another Heroes’ Feast, we return to the flooded room, where the ghostly troglodyte N’Gloth Noru once again appeared nearby.
“Welcome back,” he said.
“Thank you,” I replied in a friendly (but entirely phony) manner. “We will try to cross over today. Tell me, this place looks dangerous, are there any monsters lurking in the water?”
“No.”
“Any traps, perhaps?”
“No, it’s just… the Koprus swim across when the troglodytes come to get Pearls.”
“What prize do they get in exchange for the Pearls?”
“Slaves… But I do believe that all they want is to further the cause of Chaos in the world of Faerun through the Pearls.”
“We’ve heard of two of those so far,” said Lagaan. “One of which exploded. Have you seen many being traded like this?”
“I’ve seen maybe a hundred Pearls being traded this way. Between one and four each time, dozens of times. The Koprus brought them in a portable hole.”
We grinned at this: if we killed the Koprus, we hoped to be able to get our hands on this useful item.
“How long has this been going on?” I asked.
“For about seven years, I think,” replied the ghost.
Lagaan looked a bit discouraged. “So there are potentially up to a hundred of these Pearls loose in the world?”
Raguhl nodded grimly. “Once we’re done here, it sounds like we have a lot more work left to do to make the world safe from them.”
“What makes it even worse is that the mutations are contagious… Like we saw in Kraken’s Cove… It could turn the entire world into those horrible things! Even only one of these Pearls could destroy a city…”
Then, we crossed over to the other side. It wasn’t easy, Ulfgar fell into the water, but we eventually made it to the other side.
“Godspeed, Trouble,” said N’Gloth Noru. “Remember! Destroy the Tear! This is the only way.”
“Say,” asked Ulfgar, “how much further down is the Kopru’s city?”
“About another twenty miles.”
Ulfgar grumbled. “Another two days of traveling…”
“Oh, tabarnak!” exclaimed Lagaan.
And we continued walking… Deeper and deeper into the darkness. Ulfgar told us that we were now at least four thousand feet below the surface, and probably under the island of the Central Plateau.
“Hey, the guy who knows my father is supposed to be up there!” said Lagaan. “How did that divination go, again? Oh yes…”
“Past the ocean of many perils,
On the island, at the heart of the island,
Among danger, at the heart of danger,
Awaits a bastard with knowledge of a bastard’s father,
For he knows about his only friend.”
“Well, I could dig us a hole up to the island with Disintegrate spells,” offered Sparkie.
“Yeah, thanks, but that might take a bit too long for us,” replied Lagaan. “You can destroy what, ten feet per spell? It would take years… We’re not all elves, you know!”
And the journey went on… As we progressed, the ground grew steeper and more treacherous. In some spots, we had to use ropes to lower Raguhl and Sparkie further down. Ulfgar, Lagaan and I held the ropes, and then joined them with a combination of Levitation, Spider Climb and Feather Fall.
Damn, Raguhl is heavy!
“We still haven’t emerged on the other side of Tlaloc’s Tear”, remarked Lagaan after a while. “That means we must still be inside it. It’s huge! It must be at least thirty miles in diameter. I wonder if it’s shaped like a sphere…”
“Maybe we can ask the Koprus once we reach their city,” replied Sparkie with a grin.
Lagaan shrugged. Then, his expression brightened as he had an idea. “Hey, are the Koprus evil outsiders?” he asked, eagerly gripping his bow.
“No…” replied Sparkie.
“Damn!”
Ulfgar chuckled, as it was the third time the young rogue asked that question recently. “When you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”
“Yeah, yeah,” replied Lagaan. “When you have an evil-outsider-bane longbow, everything looks like an evil outsider.”
Nice. As usual, thanks a bunch.
The waiting is the hardest part...
Mirtul 3rd, 1376
The vermin pit
Since parting with the ghostly troglodyte, we’ve traveled underground for two more days. Oppressive whispers can still be heard at the edge of our consciousness. It is most unnerving. As we continue to descend deeper into the darkness, Ulfgar is growing more and more silent. I think he’s reached a new stage of claustrophobia, now that we’ve been below ground for almost a week. Sometimes it seems as though he’s not really with us…
This morning, after traveling for about an hour, we reached a roughly circular cave, perhaps eighty feet in diameter. Three bridges, one of which had collapsed, spanned a great chasm that opened before us. In the far wall of the cave, the tunnel continued further. We looked down into the crevasse and saw some movement at the bottom. We might’ve thought there was water down there, but Ulfgar and Sparkillo, with their superior vision, told us that it was in fact a mass of skittering vermin. Among this sea of bugs, they saw three huge stone forms: more of the petrified Aboleths.
Sparkillo believed that part of this cave had once been underwater. He reached that conclusion due to the shape of some of the rocks down here. He thought that part of the cave had been open to the air, though, and explained that the Aboleths like having air-breathing slaves, too. They are apparently covered in a sort of mucus whose contact can enable beings such as humans to grow gills and breathe water instead of air.
This was all absolutely fascinating, but I feared that this room was, as is often the case, a trap for the unwary. Those bridges could’ve easily been sabotaged to make us fall within the mass of insects at the bottom of the pit. While we were discussing ways of getting on the other side (and by this, I mean my trying to convince Sparkie to use some of his precious magic to simply teleport us to the other side), Ulfgar cried out in alarm: three bugs, which were much bigger than the others, were rapidly climbing the walls of the chasm!
They soon climbed up to our level, and to our horror, we saw that they were gigantic Rhagodessas! Visions of terror swam into my mind as I vividly remembered the first truly challenging foe we had fought together as a group: the Rhagodessa on the Blue Nixie, which had almost cut me in two. These monsters were much larger than their jungle-dwelling cousins, and were of a black color striped with red. Their scimitar-sized mandibles clacked madly as they advanced toward us.
Raguhl roared a challenge as the first monster approached him, and he stabbed it several times with his glowing sword, inflicting terrible wounds. The creature bit him in return, but soon let go as it was hit by Ulfgar’s axe, and fell to the ground, dead. With a battle-cry, Ulfgar cleaved into another monster that had also reached Raguhl.
Meanwhile, a third monster was crossing the middle bridge, also heading toward the lizard-man. Sparkillo spoke a familiar incantation and unleashed three mighty Scorching Rays that blasted the creature. Lagaan and I stood just next to him. The thief suddenly looked down into the chasm and yelled: “Look out, there’s another one heading our way!” He retreated away from the edge of the precipice and shot a few arrows at the beast advancing on the middle bridge.
Raguhl fought bravely, and sliced one of the creatures several more times with his blade, but he was soon attacked by two of the monsters. He was bitten and grasped by the hooked limbs of one of them.
But I was too busy to help the wounded lizardman: I had been preparing for the fourth monster that was about to climb up close to Sparkie and me. Just as the creature reached the tip of the chasm and struck Sparkie with one of its appendages, I completed a deadly prayer to Umberlee, and moved to touch it. I felt the hideous monster shiver under the Slay Living spell I had discharged. With a keen shriek, the monster grew pale, and its silhouette shriveled against itself. It remained stuck against the side of the precipice, and kept Sparkillo pinned against the spikes of its leg. But it was dead! I smiled, for I had gotten revenge on one of the foul creatures.
I looked around and saw the fight end in the following moments. Ulfgar killed the creature that had grappled Raguhl, while Sparkillo and Lagaan finished off the last one with a volley of Magic Missiles and arrows.
Despite our victory, Sparkie and Raguhl were still attached to the vicious spikes of their enemies’ legs. I remembered well the terrible pain I had endured when the Rhagodessa’s legs had been removed from around my midsection the previous year. As gently as I could, I extracted Sparkillo from the deadly embrace, and was able to do it without hurting him. Raguhl was not so lucky, though, as he had been caught in a more powerful embrace. He bled profusely as we disentangled him, but he merely grunted quietly from the pain. I then applied my healing magic to his wounds, and within minutes, he was whole again.
Using a spell of flying, Sparkillo then examined the bottom of the chasm and found some magic down there. He cleaned away a section of vermin with a Burning Hands spell, and brought back up the shriveled corpse of a kuo-toa. The creature had been wearing a magical ring that Sparkillo identified as a Ring of Evasion. We agreed to let him have it. The mage then cast a flying spell on Raguhl, who destroyed the heads of the three petrified Aboleths that stood at the bottom of the pit.
Golismorga
The ghost had said that our destination was twenty miles away, but it seemed to be further than that. We had expected to reach it around mid-day today, but we only arrived there near the end of our day’s journey. It began by a brightening of the corridor. Soon, we clearly saw that a strange purple light emanated from further ahead. Eventually, the tunnel emerged into a scene straight out of a nightmare.
The nightmare of someone who’s long lost touch with a thing called sanity…
The vast cavern was bathed in this hideous, and somehow wrong purple light. Three gigantic pillars of purple fire generated this eerie illumination. Under this light, we beheld the sprawling immensity of a city made of twisted buildings constructed at strange angles, leaning towers and shell-like domes that somehow, impossibly, seemed to gently writhe before our gaze, as though they were not merely buildings, but in fact the living parts of a gigantic, and hopefully dormant, entity. In the shadows between the lofty towers of ruined citadels of cyclopean grandeur lay a sinister maze of slums that reached as far as the eye could see.
Although the air here wasn’t quite as putrid as the one in Laogroat, it was still quite stale and smelled strongly of rot. In the distance, we could see a thin waterfall, but apart from that, the cave held little water. If this city with its heaving roofs and writhing towers was indeed a living thing, it must be dying of thirst.
Our tunnel led to a ledge that stood about two hundred feet above the city’s main ground level. To our left and right, we saw the openings of several more tunnels. There were no slopes or stairs leading to our tunnel, yet Raguhl claimed that it seemed frequently-traveled. We wondered how the city’s inhabitants reached it: by climbing, flying, levitating?
We studied the landscape below us, and were relieved to note that there seemed to be little activity within the dark streets of the city. Most of the movements we saw came from the buildings themselves. To our left, I pointed out a large ziggurat: was this the one that Umberlee had mentioned in the Divination I had performed a few days ago?
In hushed tones, we discussed our next step. Eventually, we agreed to send Lagaan as an invisible scout first. Sparkillo cast a Telepathic Bond spell over our entire group: it allowed us to communicate mentally, at a distance and without making any sound. This seemed like a wonderful thing at first, but I soon discovered that I had to listen to Lagaan’s inane comments and tasteless jokes within my own head now, and they were much harder to ignore that way. Nevertheless, I blessed my sneaky companion with a Freedom of Movement spell to allow him to escape any imprisonment he might get subjected to.
Lagaan turned invisible and climbed down the cliff. As he did so, the rest of us retreated further back into the corridor. We had decided that Sparkillo would study a section of the tunnel, in order to be able to teleport back to it at a later time. A few hundred feet back into the tunnel, the elf found a place that was to his liking, and he started to inspect it carefully, while the two warriors and I protectively stood watch over him.
As we did so, Lagaan mentally kept us informed of his progress.
“Hey, I just thought of something,” he said. “Do Koprus have scent?”
“If they do, I pity them,” replied Sparkillo. “This place really stinks.”
“Well, it’s not as bad as Laogroat,” said Raguhl.
Demonic roamer
Lagaan soon found out that the city was much worse up close than it had been at a distance. The buildings indeed looked very much alive, and they moved in a most disgusting fashion. At some point, one of them opened one of its windows, revealing a slime-dripping tongue that tried to lick the thief. A few minutes later, while he was climbing over a roof, he was partly eaten by the building, escaping only thanks to my freedom spell.
After fifteen or twenty minutes, Lagaan reached the closest of the purple flame pillars. He said it radiated no heat, but when he approached it, he was overwhelmed by its powerful magical aura, and had to retreat. There were no buildings immediately around the pillar, but the thief saw two petrified Aboleths mutely standing watch in the plaza.
Lagaan retreated inside a dark building that seemed made of stone, unlike most others in Golismorga. It might’ve been a good place for us to hide in, but as usual, the careless rogue had not brought any light source with him, and didn’t dare explore it in the dark. He resumed his exploration of the city, trying now to reach the ziggurat. It seemed difficult to navigate the city, as the streets were curved and dark. Suddenly, he was almost hit by a smaller pillar of purple flame that erupted from the ground, but he was able to dodge it. A bit further, he told us that he saw four palanquins being carried by troglodyte slaves. Within each one was an indolent Kopru. So it seemed that the octopus-headed fiends were not the only denizens of this city: they also kept slaves around…
While we were debating whether Lagaan should follow the palanquins or continue toward the ziggurat, Raguhl warned us mentally that he’d heard something approaching. We prepared for battle, and soon, Ulfgar said that he saw our enemy approaching in the darkness, coming from the direction of Golismorga.
“It looks like a kind of demonic giant spider with a big stinger,” he added.
“Damnation!” said Sparkie. “That is likely a Bebilith, a deadly arachnid hunter from the abyss. It is a powerful evil outsider!”
“Aaawww man,” complained Lagaan through the telepathic link. “For once that we meet an evil outsider, I’m not even there!”
Indeed, the terrifying spider soon appeared within our circle of lights. It was truly monstrous, with clawed legs that looked as though they could tear us apart easily. Sparkie warned us that it could even destroy our armors.
The thing spat a mass of webs that entangled Ulfgar. With great dexterity, Raguhl tumbled past the Bebilith’s attacks and stabbed it with his holy sword. Sparkillo unleashed a deadly spell upon the demon, and for an instant, it was bathed in the green light of a Disintegrate spell. The effects were terrible, as a whole section of the creature’s chitin was instantly destroyed, and it started bleeding profusely through the hole.
I felt I might’ve harmed it as well with one of my own spells, but I did not dare approach it, for fear of having my beautiful, and very expensive, armor damaged from the fight. No, I preferred to keep my magical energies to heal the warriors once the fight was over. Raguhl nimbly dodged most of the creature’s attacks, and was only struck a glancing blow by one of its limbs. Ulfgar finally escaped the web and rushed the Bebilith. He blocked an attack with his shield, and struck the fiend with his axe. By then, the creature was badly wounded, and our wizard finished it off with a volley of Magic Missiles.
“SPARKILLO!!!” he exclaimed victoriously through the mental link.
We had been fortunate: the fight had gone very well. We had dispatched a deadly opponent and only taken minimal damage. Luck seemed to have been on our side, for once.
“Glad to hear it went well for you,” said Lagaan. “Tymora must really be watching over us.”
I sighed.
The ziggurat
Some time later, Lagaan told us that he’d reached the plaza at the center of which stood the great pyramid. He gave us a description of it through the mental link. Its surface was covered by carvings of reptilian and simian creatures wrapped in coiled tentacles; in some places, this surface was cracked, revealing sections of diseased purple flesh within. So this building was also a living entity. Two of the pyramid’s sides were overgrown with pale green mold. Stairs climbed up the sides of the structure up to the top, where Lagaan could vaguely see the shape of a large purple-scaled eel-like creature with a barbed stinger and a humanoid head.
“A dark naga!” whispered Sparkillo telepathically.
Working on the plaza and the pyramid were about fifty troglodyte slaves. They were given orders by about fifteen Koprus, who did not have to use whips to get their bidding done, which led us to believe they used mental means of controlling their thralls. Strangely, five of those Koprus were much larger than the others, about the size of ogres, and they bore strange medallions. Lagaan’s description of them wasn’t very clear, but he claimed they were adorned with the symbol of Demogorgon!
Suddenly, Lagaan muttered a curse in a tense voice. We asked him what was going on, but he did not reply for several long moments. Then, with a tone of panic, he simply said: “One of the nagas saw through my invisibility!”
Lagaan ran madly through the streets of the mad city, pursued by a host of mad creatures. Behind him, he heard their snarls and howls. Above him, he saw the dark silhouettes of one of the giant Koprus, and two dark nagas, flying over the city and searching for him. Eventually, he took refuge within the shadows of a building. As he stood there, panting quietly, he watched for any signs of his pursuers approaching.
Suddenly, from behind him, a voice was heard: “Well met, traveler. What is a human doing in this place?”
Rakis-ka
Lagaan turned around swiftly, ready for battle. He was surprised to see the dim outline of a large, vaguely humanoid monster before him. Although the thing did not appear hostile, it was a creature out of a nightmare. Tall and gaunt, its fanged mouth was huge, and its open ribcage revealed the tiny form of a Kopru within it; that small figure was writhing in agony.
The thief cleared his throat and somehow found his voice again. “I’m kind of lost at the moment,” he replied.
“Are you a seeker of treasure? Or of lost lore, perhaps?” asked the monster in its deep voice.
“Yes.”
“Perhaps we can talk for a while, then, and share information. I’ve been in this city for some time now, but I’m still baffled by many of its more unusual aspects.”
“Talk? Well, the thing is, I kind of have a horde of gibbering monsters after me at the moment,” replied Lagaan out loud. Through the mental link, he briefly described the creature, then asked us: “What the hell is this thing?”
“Sounds like a Devourer,” I replied. “A powerful form of undead. Don’t let it touch you.”
“Can I trust it??” asked the thief urgently.
I chuckled quietly. “Certainly not as much as you can trust me, my dear.”
“Allow me to introduce myself,” continued the monster. “I am called Rakis-Ka.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Lagaan.”
“Well met. You see, Lagaan, I’ve been here for seven months already. I’m intrigued by the Elder Evils that influence this region. I’ve been studying their influence. And what about you, what brings you to Golismorga?”
Lagaan cleared his throat again. “I’m looking for Shadow Pearls. I came by sea, and visited an underground city of troglodytes who I bribed to be able to get here. They deal with the Koprus for the commerce of these Shadow Pearls, but I want them for myself.”
“Where are these Shadow Pearls you speak of?” asked the devourer.
“In the pyramid, I think.”
“Ah, of course. I’ve never managed to enter that structure, because every time I’ve tried, I’ve been pushed away by its guardians.”
“I think they’re hiding some kind of artifact, too.”
“Interesting,” said Rakis-Ka. “I wonder if this artifact comes from the time when the Aboleths ruled this place. I’ve studied their race for a long time. Although they were atheists, they venerated the powers known as Elder Evils, godlike creatures of madness such as the mighty Y’Chak, who created the pillars of purple fire that we can see throughout the city. I’ve learned that these ancient semi-gods once lived here. Of course, most of them are now gone, but one can still find remnants of their passage here.”
“Like the pillars?” said Lagaan.
“Yes, like the pillars of Y’Chak. Of all of the Elder Evils, Y’Chak was the most actively interested in the ruin of civilization. It’s not a coincidence that the artifacts are the last ones active in Golismorga.”
“Why here?”
“There is an aura here that is favorable to the propagation of chaos. I’ve learned that this place has a part to play in a soon to come downfall of Faerun. These Shadow Pearls you speak of might have something to do with it.”
“Yes,” replied Lagaan. “I’ve already seen one activated in Kraken’s Cove, and the results were disastrous.”
The devourer seemed most interested by this, and Lagaan gave him the details. He even mentioned that we’d managed to get Brissa cured of the chaos’s influence, but said it had been done by the priests of Savras instead of those of Umberlee. Seems he wanted to keep our identity secret, at least for now.
“I had no idea that these items were made here,” mused Rakis-Ka.
“You don’t have to worry,” said Lagaan, “Undead and demons are immune to the chaos effects.”
“I wonder what effect this would have on the Neh-Thalggu,” wondered the devourer enigmatically.
“Do you have any idea what he’s talking about?” asked Lagaan through the telepathic bond.
“I’ve never heard of the Neh-Thalggu,” replied Sparkillo, “but the Elder Evils are god-like beings of madness, who live beyond known reality. Beyond even the furthest planes of existence.”
“Like C’thulhu,” I added. “The Aboleths studied them with great interest, seeking to learn their secrets.”
“What’s the Neh-Thalggu?” asked Lagaan to the devourer.
“Brain collectors. There are a few in this place. They’ve been here since the place became deprived of water, over a thousand years ago. They don’t belong here, and they long to go back home, to another dimension.”
“Are they evil outsiders?” asked Lagaan, eagerly gripping his bow.
“No, they’re aberrations.”
“Damn!”
“Well, I’m not sure exactly what they are. If I had to speculate, I would say they must’ve come here because some very powerful magic broke the space/time continuum and drew them here.”
“This artifact I was talking about… It came from a god, and I think it’s linked to the production of Shadow Pearls. The Koprus use its aura to make them.”
“How do you know this?” asked Rakis-Ka.
“A ghost told me.”
“How strange. Well, perhaps I should seek him out and have a talk with him, undead to undead.”
“If you want, but it’s three days’ walk from here. He also told me that about a hundred pearls passed by the room he’s in over the years, but as far as I know, only two of those are accounted for: the one that exploded in Kraken’s Cove, and one that was used in a Crimson Pirate attack. Someone tried to activate it, but we killed him first.”
“I assume that you’re part of a group, aren’t you? And are you all Crimson Pirates, who came all the way down here?”
“We came to get the pearls directly, bypassing the troglodytes.”
“Is there a wizard among your group?”
“Yes.”
“Could you betray him for me?”
“Why?” asked Lagaan suspiciously.
“The brain collectors, as their name implies, gather brains and analyze their contents in their search to find a way to get back home. Obviously, the more evolved brains are of more use to them. The brain of a mundane person such as yourself, no insult intended, aren’t worth as much to them as the one of a wizard, the smartest of all mortals. The reason I need such a brain is to trade with the Scion, who is the most powerful of all brain collectors. He jealously guards a strange artifact to the south and won’t let anyone approach it. But were I able to offer him a valuable brain, we might reach a deal.”
“What’s that artifact?” asked Lagaan.
“It’s a big stone at the bottom of a huge crater, the head of a statue that seems to be of Olman construction. I’m not sure exactly what it is, but I think it’s something powerful.”
“Can you describe it a bit?”
“It looks reptilian, with bulging eyes and a forked tongue. It wears a headdress of feathers and spikes.”
Lagaan repeated these words through the mental link, and I told him that it matched Tlaloc’s description.
“That’s an idol of Tlaloc, the Olman god of weather,” replied Lagaan. “He’s not really a benevolent god, because he rules over storms too.”
“It radiates a phenomenal amount of magic,” explained Rakis-Ka. “I wish to study it.”
“Sounds like it could be an artifact of this god…”
“Interesting. I wonder what it’s doing here in Golismorga, an Aboleth city. There was never any Olman civilization down here. But anyway, can you betray your mage for me, so we can learn more about this artifact?”
“Let’s try it,” said Lagaan. “I’ll convince him to go to the crater. I’m sure I can lure him there.”
“I can make it worth your while,” said Rakis-Ka. “I’ve found many precious things during my stay here. Things that a pirate like you would appreciate.”
“It’s a deal, then,” said Lagaan. “I’ll be back.”
The moribund worm
Lagaan then returned toward us. Time had passed, and his magical enhancements would soon fade. As he walked carefully back toward the ledge, he told us in greater detail about his discussion with Rakis-Ka. Of course, he had no intention of really betraying Sparkie, but he’d guessed that he wouldn’t have been able to defeat the devourer by himself, so he had humored him.
Sparkillo had heard about brain collectors before. They were indeed aberrations from another reality, denizens of madness, larval forms of godlike creatures in the making. And as is the case with most godlike creatures, they were very dangerous.
Lagaan had learned from Rakis-Ka that the crater could be found near the furthest of the purple flame pillars. Sparkillo teleported us there, and as soon as we appeared within that section of the city, our senses were assailed by the strangeness of the living city, its writhing walls and its breathing roofs.
“Welcome to Golismorga!” said Lagaan with a smug grin. He was already used to it from his earlier exploration.
“This place is horrible,” stated Raguhl.
“There must be something keeping it alive despite the lack of water,” said Lagaan. “Something magical… perhaps linked to these flame pillars.”
We moved together toward the direction of the crater. Lagaan had turned invisible. To our right, one of the “buildings” didn’t look like any building at all, but rather like a giant lung. It was so eerie. Were we in a city, or in the corpse of a dying god?
We walked down dark, cramped alleys as if we were navigating a maze. At one point, we reached a dead end, but Sparkillo created a Passwall for us with his magical axe. In the street beyond the portal was the corpse of a gigantic purple worm that seemed somehow to have been bitten by the building next to it. We had no choice but to cautiously pass next to this gory display. As we did so, the enormous monster suddenly animated, for it had not truly been dead, only dying, and it attacked us with desperate rage.
Unlike the rest of us, Lagaan and Raguhl were not caught by surprise and were able to lacerate the creature with their blades. Alas, poor Ulfgar was bitten and swallowed by the monster. Lagaan was stung by the tail.
We fought desperately. Lagaan and I stood side by side, stabbing the monster with our weapons. Sparkillo chanted the words of a Magic Missile spell and blasted our opponent. From a section of the monster to our left, we could see the tip of Ulfgar’s shortsword starting to cut its way out of the worm’s entrails. The behemoth moved to swallow Sparkie, and at the same time, I saw that its tail was moving to sting me, but by Umberlee’s grace, Lagaan struck one final blow to the purple worm, and it finally collapsed, truly dead!
We helped Ulfgar to escape out of the worm, and he emerged, furiously raging and dripping with foul-smelling acid. He let out a long series of curses in dwarven as I worked my healing magic on him. By the time I was done, I heard a moan and saw that Lagaan had been weakened by the worm’s poison, so I healed that too.
The brain collector
Some time later, we reached the hundred-and-fifty-foot-diameter crater, which gaped like a wound where the pungent fluids of the city flowed. Languid veins of mucus glistened along the walls of the crater, which blossomed with sickly mold. Here and there, patches of gigantic mushrooms grew. At the very bottom of the crater, only a small patch of earth remained intact, and upon it rested the cracked and damaged head of a gigantic statue that must once have been that of the god Tlaloc. The black sludge that pooled around the head sizzled into wisps of vapor as it came in contact with the holy relic. In the darkness above, we could dimly see the outline of a great hole, as if the statue’s head had fallen all the way down here like a meteorite.
“I don’t like this place…” stated Sparkillo.
“What’s wrong, Sparkie?” asked Lagaan teasingly. “Afraid to lose your brain in here?”
“Very funny… wait!” replied the elf. “I saw something there… in the shadows.”
Raguhl frowned and looked where Sparkie was pointing. “I don’t see anything.”
“It disappeared,” said Sparkie. “It simply … vanished… let me try something.” He muttered the words to a spell. “Yes. Yes, it’s there! Invisible! It’s one of those brain-collectors! Quick, attack it!”
The wizard cast some Magic Missiles, which seemed to come in contact with an invisible enemy that was hiding behind a clump of giant mushrooms. Wrinkling my nose in disgust, I started to climb down the slope of the mucus-slick crater. After a few moments, I cast an Invisibility Purge spell, and from behind the mushrooms, we saw the shapes of several huge brain-like monsters that skittered on many thin legs – but we had seen this spell before, and understood that it was really a single monster affected by a Mirror Image spell.
One of Lagaan’s arrows destroyed a magical image, and two others pierced the true monster. At my side, Raguhl and Ulfgar also climbed down toward our foe. Raguhl was the fastest, but Ulfgar and I had the advantage of magic – Feather Fall and Levitation - to help us.
Sparkillo cast a Dispel Magic on the being, but its mirror images remained. The creature then cast another defensive spell. I approached closer and prepared myself to counter the brain collector’s next spell. Three more images vanished as they were hit by Lagaan’s arrows.
Sparkillo’s then attempted to afflict our foe with a Feeblemind spell, but the alien resisted it. I tried to dispel the brain collector’s following incantation, but my spell failed and the creature vanished… only to reappear directly behind Sparkillo!
“Ah, crap,” groaned Ulfgar and Raguhl in unison. By then, they had reached the bottom of the crater and had a long climb up ahead of them. I called upon one of my mightiest spells and blasted the brain collector with a Freezing Sphere that it failed to dodge. Lagaan shot two more arrows at the monster, as the two warriors started climbing back up. Raguhl succeeded surprisingly well, and was already up top within just a few moments.
The brain collector was hit by a Disintegrate spell from Sparkillo, but resisted it. In turn, it bit the wizard with its huge mouth, inflicting a terrible wound and draining some of the elf’s life-force as if by a spell. Thankfully, though, Sparkie had dodged at the last moment, and it’s his shoulder rather than his head that had been bitten. With little hope of climbing all the way back up in time to heal Sparkie, I instead cast another Dispel Magic on the brain collector, just as another one of Lagaan’s arrows destroyed the last mirror image.
Raguhl roared in rage as he tumbled forward to defend his friend Sparkie. His sword opened a bloody gash in the brain collector’s bulbous body. The aberration shrieked again in pain as it was hit by a second Disintegrate spell from Sparkie – this time, it did not resist the magic, and was left badly wounded from it. Seeing that it would not survive the encounter, the creature chose to flee with another Dimension Door spell.
We had defeated the Scion of the crater for now… but we knew it might come back for vengeance…
Mirtul 3rd, 1376 (continued)
Great minds
Everything was quiet around us. We had defeated the Scion of the crater. My companions carefully made their way down into the crater, where I still stood. It was most unpleasant to be in this stinking hole, where the sewage of the entire city seemed to converge, but unfortunately, this was where the holy relic lay.
“What if the brain-monster comes back, invisible?” asked Lagaan.
“I’m still surrounded by an Invisibility Purge aura,” I replied. “We should see it coming.”
Sparkillo had been badly injured by the monster, and I healed his wounds. Then, we approached the head of Tlaloc’s statue. It was in pitiful shape: although it had once likely been painted in bright colors, now it looked quite dull and fragile. I wondered if perhaps a single blow from one of our warriors’ weapons might shatter it.
Yes, despite its miserable state, Sparkillo and I sensed some very powerful magic coming from the relic. Abjuration magic… The wizard attempted to identify it, and caught glimpses of what it was… As we had suspected, this was indeed Tlaloc’s Tear. Although it came from one of the weak, faded Olman gods, I felt a sense of awe at being in the presence of an item of divine nature.
“What does this do, exactly?” asked Raguhl.
“I’m not sure… But I know one of its powers is to protect against mind control,” replied Sparkillo.
“How does it work? Do we have to stand next to it?”
“I don’t know…” said the elf. “I would need more time to study it. It seems quite complex.”
“Yes, quite complex indeed,” said a deep voice from up near the crater’s rim. We looked up and saw a large gaunt shape. Its skin was a sickly shade of gray, and its face, although it was partly shrouded in shadows, was monstrously ugly.
“Rakis-Ka,” said Lagaan. “Nice to see you again. Here are my companions: Sparkie, Belessa, Raguhl and Ulfgar. Guys, this is Rakis-Ka.”
We bowed and mumbled some hellos, as the devourer started making its way into the crater. It passed through one of the patches of poisonous mushrooms, releasing a cloud of toxic spores around it, but of course, as an undead, it was not affected.
Rakis-Ka seemed pleased to meet us, and fascinated by Tlaloc’s Tear. I watched with morbid interest the tiny figure of a struggling Kopru, trapped within the gaping hole of its abdomen. I had never seen a devourer up so close. They are quite terrible to behold… And I am thankful that this one was not hostile toward us. Indeed, it was quite diplomatic, and asked for our permission to examine the relic, offering us several thousand gold pieces’ worth of diamonds as payment. It was a most generous gift, which we accepted.
Now that we had discovered the artifact, I was a bit worried about its fragility. I wondered for a moment if the devourer might have some secret agenda, and might try to harm it. But upon further reflection, if the flimsy artifact had survived for a thousand years unharmed, it would be a bit paranoid to assume that it would be destroyed at this time. That is, of course, unless one of my uncouth companions got the stupid idea to break it…
Although I found the devourer interesting, it mostly ignored us, directing its attention only toward the relic, and toward Sparkillo, whom it seemed to regard as the only mind capable of providing a stimulating conversation. When Raguhl asked where it came from, Sparkillo responded that Devourers were believed to be a form of undead Githyankis, the descendants of a race of evil humans once enslaved by the Mind Flayers, ruled by a godlike lich queen and often allied with Red Dragons. But when the lizardman asked for more information about the specifics of Rakis-Ka’s origins, the pedantic creature launched into a complex speech of obscure arcane terms and theories which quickly confounded us all, first of all the primitive Raguhl. All I understood from it is that Rakis-Ka had been dwelling in the ethereal plane.
So for some time, I silently watched Sparkillo and Rakis-Ka, as the two supposedly “great minds” interacted with each other, using complex words as though trying to impress each other with the vastness and depth of their knowledge. I always find it amusing to observe those pretentious know-it-alls who consider themselves superior to others because of the lore they’ve absorbed by studying books. And I’ve noticed that in most cases, those people are in fact completely oblivious to even the most basic principles of interpersonal relationships. In this case, I exchanged some sarcastic grins with Raguhl and Ulfgar, as we grew more and more bored of listening to the two sages locked in their duel of fancy words.
To pass the time, I chatted a bit with the warriors and with Lagaan. We wondered what to do about Tlaloc’s Tear. I was able to convince them that it should not be destroyed. Indeed, I feared that it would not only free the Aboleths, but also, that it might revive Golismorga, which truly seemed to be the dying body of a terrible being of tremendous size and power. Perhaps the rush of life-giving water would restore it to its full power, and spell doom for us all.
Finally, we were able to ask a few questions to Rakis-Ka about the city itself. It turns out that there are less Koprus around than we thought. They seem to be staying mostly around the pyramid. Apart from them, and a few wandering Neh-Thalggu, the city is mostly abandoned. Even Rakis-Ka has no idea why it seems so alive. Beneath the nearby waterfalls, more caves can be found with typical Underdark denizens, such as ropers, oozes, giant vermin, but no civilized beings.
We also got him to tell us about the entity called Holashner, which is one of the Great Evils, a being of terrible power that roams between different realities, sowing chaos and destruction in its wake, and excreting a foul and very potent substance called the Black Bile of the World. I had heard about Holashner before, from Umberlee herself. Just like she had done, Rakis-Ka referred to it as the Hunger Below. But Rakis-Ka said that Holashner had left a long time ago, and that its foul secretion, the black bile of the world, had dried up into a solid form.
Sparkillo then explained that, indeed, with time, the black bile of the world transformed into something called bile stone. This ectoplasm of madness is highly unstable and very hazardous to humans, elves and other such mortal races, for it consists of highly concentrated chaos that can cause horrible mutations. As we all suspected by now, this bile stone was likely the substance from which the Shadow Pearls were made, as the symptoms seemed to match the terrible chaotic devastation we had witnessed in Kraken’s Cove. Sparkillo also conjectured that this substance had been the source of the Vile Rigidity that had afflicted the troglodytes of Laogroat.
I then reminded Sparkillo about Umberlee’s divination. She had said: “Stop the creation of the black bile of the world. Enter Holashner’s Ziggurat and kill the parasite gnawing through the vitals of the world, the elder evil, the hunger below, the perverted horror.”
“So Holashner must still be around,” I added. “It must be still be secreting the black bile of the world. Perhaps the Koprus have found a way to control it, or at least, to profit from its existence in this world.”
“But Belessa,” said Lagaan, “Rakis-Ka said that there’s no more bile. So like Sparkie said, Holashner must not be here anymore.”
“Dear Lagaan, who would you rather trust? Sparkie, a mere mortal, or Umberlee, a mighty goddess?”
“Sparkie,” replied the thief, predictably.
I closed my eyes and sighed. “Well, that’s because you’re an idiot.”
By then, we were all feeling tired; Sparkillo and I had expended a large portion of our magical energy for the day. Since we had nothing productive to do with the Tear, our next destination seemed to be Holashner’s Ziggurat, but it appeared to be very well guarded. We decided to rest before trying a massive assault of the place. We debated teleporting back to the tunnel we’d come from, and resting in a Rope Trick, but finally, we decided that, since we were going to use Teleport anyway, that we might as well use it to return to Farshore and rest more comfortably.
We left Rakis-Ka behind; it had already started to study the Tear...
We appeared back in Farshore. It was night outside, and we felt the warm breeze against our skin. Above us, tiny stars glimmered in the black sky. We were above ground! We were home! It felt wonderful…
“Thank goodness we’re back!” said Ulfgar with a tone of relief, and he knelt down and kissed the ground.
We all looked forward to sleeping in a real bed, but before approaching any of the villagers, I asked for a Prestidigitation spell from Sparkie, to clean the worst of the dirt that clung to me. We had been through so many dirty places in the past few days that we must’ve smelled horrible.
I bade good-night to the rest of Trouble and headed toward Manthalay’s manor. Some servants came to greet me, and I learned that it was around midnight. I gave orders for two of the maids to prepare me a bath, and for my equipment to get cleaned.
It was sheer bliss to take a warm bath after so many days in the darkness below… Among the dirty troglodytes, or stuck in a dimensional hole having to smell Ulfgar’s feet and Lagaan’s armpits…Now, at last, I felt clean again.
Some time later, I slipped into Manthalay’s room and joined him under the covers. He woke up in surprise, but his expression immediately brightened when he saw that I had returned, alive and well. He asked me a few questions about the progress of my mission, but I felt that such serious talk could wait till morning, so I merely answered him with a kiss…
Mirtul 4th, 1376
I spent a wonderful night in Manthalay’s bed… Even though I only slept for a few hours thanks to my ring, I lazily remained in bed until Manthalay got up. The sun was shining through a slit in the curtains. It looked like a beautiful day outside. I did not feel like going back so deep below the earth…
A while later, I met my companions at Johan’s Inn. They all seemed to share my reluctance to return to Golismorga immediately. After all, it seemed there was no rush. We had slain the denizens of Laogroat, so for a while, there was no risk of any other Shadow Pearl being released into the outside world. We agreed to take a few days of rest before continuing with our mission.
Mirtul 7th, 1376
I am glad we decided to rest in Farshore. I feel much more refreshed now, and my companions seem less on edge as well, especially Ulfgar.
We’ve all grown in power as a result of our victory over recent ordeals, and these last few days of rest have enabled us to harness some new abilities we’ve gained. Raguhl, Ulfgar and Lagaan have spent most of their days training in combat, Sparkie has been staying by himself mostly, studying arcane tomes and creating new spells, and I’ve spent several hours every day meditating on the shore, praying to the mighty Umberlee.
I feel she has granted me powers beyond anything I had obtained so far… Powers so great that I had only witnessed them on a handful of occasions, performed by the mightiest members of our church. I am now on par with them. I now wield as much power as the High Priestess at the height of her reign. I could take her place, if I wished… I feel confident that I could take on Edvanda and defeat her at last…
(OOC: The characters are now level 13!)
I’ve distanced myself from the tedious chores of running the community. Manthalay and Moretta are doing a good job of running the village and tending to its religious needs. Furthermore, Bereleth is making good progress so far with the building of the temple of Umberlee. I don’t have the patience to deal with such trivialities now. I sense within my own soul that I am destined for much greater things. The many wondrous and terrible things I’ve witnessed during my adventures, most of all those I recently experienced in the dark depths have changed me. As I become closer and closer to Umberlee, and feel her divine power grow within me, I find it harder to connect with mundane folk.
Because of this, I’ve spent some time by myself lately, weaving magic in a beautiful cloak I had bought back in Sasserine. I have imbued it with a powerful aura of resistance, which should protect me in our dangerous adventures. I could make it more powerful still, but it would take me almost two weeks to complete the enchantment, and I fear we cannot afford to take such an extended break at this time.
My companions were suitably impressed when I approached them tonight, wearing my beautiful new cloak. It is of black velvet, and adorned with white and blue shark motifs at the hem. It goes quite well with my magnificent armor, which is also decorated with sharks. Lagaan whistled in appreciation when he saw me, and asked what this new cloak was. When I told him, he and Raguhl both begged me to empower their own cloaks with better magical resistance. I smiled and let them beg me for part of the night. As a group, we decided that we’d teleport back to the Sea Wyvern before returning to Golismorga, and we’d bring the ship back here, which should take about three days. We could’ve asked Brissa to bring it back with the crew that we left there, but I was worried that they might get attacked. I could not bear to lose my beloved Brissa, nor my dear Sea Wyvern…
Finally, I grew weary of Lagaan and Raguhl’s incessant pleading, and agreed to enchant one of their cloaks during our brief sea voyage. I flipped a coin, and announced to the lucky rogue that he would get his cloak enchanted.
Mirtul 8th, 1376
This morning, we teleported back to the Sea Wyvern. Brissa and the rest of the crew looked relieved to see us: they had been waiting there for almost two weeks, fearful of being attacked by a sea monster, or by the Crimson Pirates.
But Brissa was in for yet even more good news. With a smile, I told her that I had a gift for her. She approached me, and I chanted the words of one of the mighty prayers that Umberlee has taught me through my recent meditation. I gently placed my hand on the side of Brissa’s face: the right side, the one with the eyepatch. For a moment, she was bathed in a nimbus of holy blue light. She gasped, and then slowly removed her eyepatch, revealing a completely reformed eye. She blinked and looked around with an expression of amazement: for the first time in several months, she saw the world with two eyes.
“You are whole again, my friend,” I told her.
Tears of joy flowed down her cheeks. “Thank you, Belessa! Thank you so much!”
I hugged her tight, and the crew cheered at the miracle they had just witnessed.
Mirtul 10th, 1376
After sailing for three days aboard the Sea Wyvern, we returned to Farshore. I felt a sense of relief at knowing that my beautiful ship, and my friend Brissa, were now safely back home, rather than waiting in the waters where the deadly Emragg prowls.
Upon our return, Brissa and I headed to the cemetery. Under the light of the dying sun, we stood together before Vanthus’s grave. While grass had started to grow over the tombs of the other people we’d buried a few months ago, the soil that covered this one was still barren of any vegetation, as though it were cursed.
Brissa spit on the grave. “I’m back, you bastard,” she said with a sneer. “I’ve escaped death many times, thanks to the protection of Umberlee. And you rot here all the while… I hope your soul is being tormented in the Abyss as we speak… And that you will suffer for eternity!”
I smiled. I was happy to see justice served. There were so many women who, like Brissa, were manipulated by selfish men they loved. She had almost perished because of Vanthus’s treachery. But I was happy that she had come out on top in the end.
- - -
In the evening, Lagaan received a magical message from a cleric in Sasserine. He had apparently been hired by Tyria to relay a message to us: “Say hi to everyone. Had lots of fun in Waterdeep. Gonna meet with you guys a bit later. Gonna go to Scuttlecove. See you later.”
Scuttlecove… Why was Tyria going there? It sounded like a very dangerous place, home of the Crimson Pirates… It was once ruled by three extremely powerful Ur-Priests, heretics who stole their powers from the gods, but those fiends had vanished some time ago. Since then, the pirate-city had fallen even deeper into chaos, but some of the mightiest religions had established temples there. A powerful cleric of Umberlee, father Shondesh, had gone there to build a temple to our goddess. He had been one of the most powerful priests of Umberlee back when I was in Calimshan. I wondered how things were going for him there… Was he in league with the Crimson Pirates? Was he their foe? Was he even still alive?
I considered the possibility of contacting him by magic, but in the end, I decided against it. He might be in league with the enemy, and I did not want to reveal too much. What’s more, if he even remembered me, it was as a weak, lowly acolyte from back when I served in Calimshan. I remembered that he had been among the zealots who had taken my son away from me that fateful night, and who had sacrificed him to our goddess.
I remembered Shondesh… And hated him…
Mirtul 11th, 1376
Back to the city of madness
This morning, Sparkillo teleported the five of us to the base of the ledge leading to the tunnel we’d initially used to enter Golismorga. We were shocked by the city’s horrible reek, and by the utter darkness that surrounded us: in the last few days spent in the outside world, our senses had lost their attunement to the extreme lack of light, and the foul scent of the city of madness.
Once we had regained our senses somewhat, Sparkillo cast a Telepathic Bond between us, and Lagaan went forward, under the cover of invisibility, to scout the outskirts of the pyramid. Once he reached it, he saw that it was still heavily guarded: in addition to the fifty troglodyte slaves working near its base and in the surrounding buildings, there were five nagas, eight massive Kopru behemoths, and perhaps fifteen lesser Koprus wallowing in pools of water.
It seemed that we needed to enter the pyramid to stop the production of Shadow Pearls. Alas, it meant that we would have to fight our way through these many opponents. We had no desire to fight them all at once, so we decided that Lagaan would lure some of them back to a nearby place where we would wait in ambush.
The thief came back to fetch us, and led us throughout the dark streets. This part of the city was much more cluttered than the area around the crater, and we had to make our way between the sickened, disgusting living buildings. Sparkillo was able to follow Lagaan, because he had cast a See Invisibility spell.
Suddenly, as we passed by one of the buildings, it collapsed over us, burying us in an avalanche of foul, diseased flesh. I will not bother writing in detail here how disgusting this experience was, to be stuck in this mass of fetid rot, nor the business of cutting our way out of here. There are some parts of our adventuring career that deserve only to be forgotten.
Once the ordeal was over, I healed Ulfgar and Raguhl, who had been the most badly damaged by the collapsing building. Finally, we reached a suitable spot for the ambush, and waited for Lagaan to bring us back some foes.
Guardians of the Ziggurat
After a few minutes, we heard through the mental link that Lagaan had shot two of the troglodyte slaves dead, and was now being pursued by several enemies. He was blasted several times by magic cast by one of the flying nagas. By the time he reached us, he was badly burnt and in dire need of healing. He called out to me telepathically, and turned visible again so I would see him. Behind and above him, a dark naga and a flying Kopru behemoth were following him, flying swiftly. Beyond that, we saw the dark shape of another flying behemoth hovering over nearby buildings. The creature seemed to be directing a troop of troglodytes toward us, in the Aquan language, which I understood by magic.
Lagaan reached us, and as the enemies got closer, Sparkillo unleashed a ray of destructive energy which struck the naga. The monster was surrounded by crackling green energy, and suddenly vanished: it had been entirely Disintegrated! Although Kopru behemoth’s face was but two dark eyes over a mass of writhing tentacles, I got the impression that it gaped in shock at the disappearance of its ally. Then, it immediately flew down to cower behind one of the buildings, away from Sparkillo’s deadly magic.
As I healed some of Lagaan’s wounds, I heard the monster shout orders from behind the building: “Strong resistance here! Send more troops! There are powerful humans and elves!”
With the worst of his burns healed, Lagaan turned invisible once again, and we all ran toward our enemy. We caught a glimpse of the monstrosity, and it tried to control Raguhl’s mind, but the barbarian resisted the mental impulse.
Then we saw them: dark shapes moving between the sickly buildings of the city of madness. A large number of troglodyte slaves were coming to attack us, following the orders of their masters. Sparkillo unleashed another deadly spell, a blazing Fireball, which killed about ten of them. Raguhl approached the behemoth, and the two started trading blows. Ulfgar and I were following him, but couldn’t keep up with his fast pace due to our heavy armors.
“Move, Belessa, you’re blocking my aim!” said the invisible Lagaan through the mental link.
“You move,” I replied, “I can’t see you!”
Suddenly, from my left, the archer reappeared as he shot several arrows at the behemoth. One of them lodged itself in one of the being’s eyes, instantly killing it.
We now turned our attention toward the second behemoth, which still hovered over a nearby building. Sparkillo blasted it with a Cone of Cold spell from his staff, and it was also hit by arrows from our two warriors, before it too retreated behind a building. This time, it was in Olman that the monster roared, ordering its troops to spread out.
More and more troglodytes were coming toward us. They were coming from different angles now, trying to surround us. Waving his staff in a wide arc, Sparkillo slew a few more of them with an Ice Storm spell, and Raguhl darted around a building to finish off the second behemoth. Ulfgar and I struggled to keep up with him.
“I’m getting tired of all this running around!” panted Ulfgar.
Suddenly, a Fireball exploded around Sparkillo, Ulfgar and myself. Thanks to our tremendous constitution and magical resistances, we were able to survive it, but I had been badly wounded. We saw now that it had been cast by a flying naga that had previously been invisible. I also heard Raguhl roar in pain from behind the building. Leaving Sparkillo to deal with the flying naga, I hurried to reach Raguhl: there, I saw that he had been grappled by the barbed tail of the massive Kopru behemoth, and was being squeezed to death. The lizardman struggled to escape the grasp, but could not get free. All around us, more troglodytes came out of the shadows, and with them came their terrible smell, a putrid assault on our nostrils. Thankfully, though, none of us were weakened by the stench: I guess we must be getting used to it.
I didn’t see him at this point, but I later learned that Lagaan assassinated two of the troglodytes from behind another building, and then faced two Koprus and another troglodyte in single combat. He defended himself valiantly.
Above me, I saw the second naga being hit by a green ray of magic: another Disintegrate spell from Sparkillo, but this one survived it. Behind me, I heard the death-cry of a troglodyte as it was chopped down by Ulfgar’s axe.
“Come to me, little trogs! Come to me!” taunted the dwarf.
For a moment, there was a flash of fire, and heard Sparkillo cry in pain: he had been hit by some Scorching Rays from the naga. I could sense that he was in terrible pain, and in need of my healing, but I couldn’t be everywhere at once. Close to me, Raguhl was raging furiously, but unable to escape the vice-like grip of the Kopru’s tail. Several troglodytes appeared from all sides, surrounding me and the struggling lizardman.
The Kopru behemoth’s dark eyes turned toward me then, and I felt a mental blast strike my consciousness.
“Aid us,” said a booming, alien voice that resonated within my mind. “Kill them. Kill the surface dwellers. Kill them all. I command you, thrall.”
I shook my head briefly, then approached Raguhl, muttered a prayer and unleashed a powerful spell into the barbarian’s body…
A hero’s death
Raguhl was immediately energized with my Freedom of Movement spell. Roaring furiously, he now easily escaped the grasp of the giant Kopru’s tail, and struck the fiend several times with his glowing greatsword. The behemoth cried out in pain, but these pitiful wails were soon muted as it fell to the ground, disemboweled by the raging barbarian’s assault. But Raguhl did not end there. Even though more troglodytes were closing in on us, he kept striking the Kopru’s corpse, over and over again, until it was turned into a viscous mass of goo.
I smiled at Raguhl’s unbridled fury. It was a good thing that I had been strong enough to resist the mental command of the behemoth.
While the roars of the raging lizardman resounded in my ears, I heard the voices of my other companions through the Telepathic Bond.
“There’s an invisible Kopru near Raguhl!” said Sparkillo.
“Oh shit!!” exclaimed Lagaan, who seemed to be in trouble as well.
By now, Raguhl and I were surrounded by troglodytes, but our magical armors protected us well from their feeble claws and clubs. After the terrible foes we had battled in our adventures, these were pitifully weak opponents. I slammed my shield against one of them, and it dropped its club from the force of the impact. I laughed at the weakling.
I heard another cry of pain, and quickly turned to see the shape of the dark naga fall down from the sky, burned to death by a Scorching Ray cast by Sparkillo. Not far from the wizard, Ulfgar slew several more troglodytes, shouting more dwarven battle-cries as he did so.
Suddenly, I heard Sparkillo cry out in pain again, and then I knew that the wizard was really in trouble. I hurried toward him, blocking attacks from the nearby troglodytes, and saw that a third Kopru behemoth had appeared next to the elf, and now was grappling him in the deadly embrace of its massive tail. Ulfgar and I rushed to help the wizard, as he burned his assailant with blast after blast of scorching rays. The behemoth was almost incinerated to death, but survived the terrible magical onslaught, and before Ulfgar and I could come to Sparkillo’s defense, he squeezed the life out of our companion, and tossed his corpse to the ground.
I gasped in horror…
Sparkie was dead…
While Ulfgar charged our enemy with greater fury than ever before, I hurried to Sparkillo’s side and quickly retrieved some diamonds from my belt pouch. Then, imploring Umberlee to show mercy, I placed my other hand on Sparkillo’s chest. I felt a rush of divine energy course through me, and into my companion’s unmoving body. I felt the diamonds disappear from my fist, and at the same time, Sparkillo gasped and his entire body shuddered. I had done it! I had been able to restore his soul into his body!
But the elf was still badly wounded: another hit and he would die again. Dodging the attacks of a nearby troglodyte and concentrating on another potent prayer, I cast a Heal spell on my companion and completely restored him to health.
He blinked for a moment, but quickly understood that we were still in the middle of combat. I helped him to his feet. Next to us, Ulfgar had finally slain the behemoth, and another troglodyte. His axe buried itself in the chest of another troglodyte, and the creature staggered back, but survived the impact.
Ulfgar’s eyes grew wide with rage. “What? One of these creeps actually survived one of my blows? Impossible!”
But then, we saw a third flying naga appear above us, close to where Lagaan was fighting for his life against two Koprus and a troglodyte. A ray of black energy struck Ulfgar, and he moaned: some of his strength had been sapped by the Ray of Enfeeblement.
I quickly surveyed the battlefield. Raguhl was still sowing death and destruction around him: he was now surrounded by a pile of troglodyte corpses, and was in the process of slaying his last standing enemy, a Kopru. Lagaan did not fare as well, and was now grappled by one of his assailants.
Sparkillo fired some Scorching Rays at the new naga, but some of them missed, as though the creature was protected by some kind of illusion that hid its true location. Ulfgar finished off the troglodyte who’d had the audacity of not dying in one shot, and despite his decreased strength, he cleaved into another troglodyte, killing it, and rushed toward another Kopru.
Most of our enemies were now dead: there remained only Ulfgar’s Kopru, the three enemies around Lagaan, and the third naga, which was now fleeing for its life. As it passed over Lagaan, it fired some Magic Missiles at him.
I moved toward the cowardly creature. “You don’t understand,” I shouted in its direction, “there is no leaving this battle once it’s started. One must see it to the end, or DIE!” And then, holding forth my onyx-and-sapphire symbol of Umberlee, upon which are scribed verses of anathema, I spoke the most potent and deadly prayer ever granted to me. The foul naga screamed in torment as it was hit by the full force of my Destruction spell; for a moment, the silhouette of its skeleton flashed before a void of utter darkness, and then there remained nothing of it but the echo of its death cry.
It was no more.
Sparkie cast a volley of Magic Missiles toward Lagaan’s foes, as the rogue escaped the grapple. Between the two of them, they were able to slay these enemies. To my right, Ulfgar and Raguhl killed the last Kopru.
It had been a terrible battle. We had slain many of the ziggurat’s guardians, but one of the mighty heroes of Trouble had died during this conflict. This victory had only been attained at a heavy price.
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Nasty fight! We had quite a few close calls fighting the Kopru early on . . . especially because we didn't have hero's feast or protection from evil in those early fights. Rogue / fighters don't exactly have high will saves. :P
PS in case you haven't noticed your journal is currently ahead of mine! I'm only working on my parties visit to Barbas now.
Yes, we were really lucky actually that everyone made their saves. It would've turned REALLY nasty if say, Ulfgar or Raguhl had turned against us... Might've been a TPK.
The worst thing about Belessa being Evil is that... she can't cast Protection from Evil... I hope that's not going to mortally limit our group's ability to progress further in the AP.
Looking forward to reading how this adventure went for your group!
By the way, how are things for you? Are you still playing Rise of the Runelords?
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you know protection from good has the same benefits against mind control . . . it just doesn't help you with any bonuses.
Oh really??? Hmmm... Good to know!!!!
Alas I'm not playing any pen and paper games these days. I play a bit of D&D online though.
Damn, that's too bad! Any idea if you're going to start again in a foreseeable future?
The Seeds of Sehan arc was written by Tom Ganz, Stefan Happ, Stephen S. Greer, B. Matthew Conklin III, and Ashavan Doyon.
In Richard Pett’s The Styes, the character of Mr. Dory (who was the inspiration for Mr. Wateridge) was a Corpse Creature. It’s a template from the Book of Vile Darkness.
All these adventures looked really great. Given infinite time I would certainly enjoy playing them all as written… but like they say: "So many games, so little time!" :)
Once again, great job adapting this campaign. I think I'm going to try the exact thing for after SWW. I don't want to crash my PCs' boat, since they are totally in love with it, so if you have any thoughts or writeups I'd appreciate it.
Basically,1) Have the Sea Wyvern be damaged but not sunk
2) Sink Blue nixie.
3) have some important NPCs kidnapped by gargoyles and needing rescue. I'm trying to get my PCs hooked on some of the NPCs, romantically possibly. But my players usually don't bite that sort of bait. We'll see. I may need other motivations.
4) Add the Olman stuff from the dark mountain pass to a pyramid near the aranea encounter.
I think all this is basically how you did it. Any pointers on pulling this off?
I'd also like pointers on the pirate ship attack you used. Do you have any stat blocks from that encounter? My PCs are not being challenged by the encounters at this point.
Thanks
Moonbeam/Dan'Sadar,
How did you work out the ogre mage that was after Lagaan? How did he actually GET to the isle of dread, I don't understand that part.
I have a PC that is on the run from a King, hunted by bounty hunters and this looks like a good plot twist as well.
How was the logistics for the opportunity and travel for the ogre mage work out?
Thanks,
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How was the logistics for the opportunity and travel for the ogre mage work out?
Hi there,
First I just want to say that your players are lucky that you're going out of your way to put romantic hooks for them. It's too bad that they're not into that kind of things! If I were playing a male human/elf/half-elf, I would soooo have gone after Lavinia in our campaign. Or Liamae. Or Brissa. Or that cute redhead we saved during the first Farshore raid. Or hell, maybe all of them!
Now, Dam'Sadar can provide a better explanation since it's his story, but since he rarely posts on this board, let's see what I can do.
Regarding the ogre mage, he somehow got to the island of Greenrock to do a mission for Lord Dracktus. I guess he got there by boat (we never found out). Then he destroyed the outpost (not sure if he did so single-handedly, or with the help of some other monsters... I think there were some lizardmen tracks in the area... I don't remember for sure).
When Trouble got to Fort Greenrock (or what remained of it), they met a half-elf Druid named Scorin, who was supposedly the only survivor. This was actually the Ogre Mage shape-shifted. He wanted to get "rescued" by us so he would get the chance to kill us later on.
We "rescued" him and carried him on board the Sea Wyvern for the rest of the adventure. I remember I found him somewhat fishy, but there were too many other things going on for me to investigate.
Then, when we reached the Isle of Dread, and we crashed, he survived. He woke up before anyone else, I think, and saw the gargoyles capturing a few people (Moretta, Amella, etc). Then I don't remember for sure how it happened: either he got purposefully captured by the gargoyles (still posing as Scorin) or he polymorphed into a gargoyle and joined them.
He waited for us to come rescue the hostages. He was hoping that once that was done, we would bring him to Farshore, and at that point his goal would have been to assassinate Lagaan as per his contract with Lord Dracktus, and perhaps kill the rest of us too.
Hope it helps...
Regarding the ogre mage, he somehow got to the island of Greenrock to do a mission for Lord Dracktus. I guess he got there by boat (we never found out). Then he destroyed the outpost (not sure if he did so single-handedly, or with the help of some other monsters... I think there were some lizardmen tracks in the area... I don't remember for sure).
When Trouble got to Fort Greenrock (or what remained of it), they met a half-elf Druid named Scorin, who was supposedly the only survivor. This was actually the Ogre Mage shape-shifted. He wanted to get "rescued" by us so he would get the chance to kill us later on.
We "rescued" him and carried him on board the Sea Wyvern for the rest of the adventure. I remember I found him somewhat fishy, but there were too many other things going on for me to investigate.
Then, when we reached the Isle of Dread, and we crashed, he survived. He woke up before anyone else, I think, and saw the gargoyles capturing a few people (Moretta, Amella, etc). Then I don't remember for sure how it happened: either he got purposefully captured by the gargoyles (still posing as Scorin) or he polymorphed into a gargoyle and joined them.
He waited for us to come rescue the hostages. He was hoping that once that was done, we would bring him to Farshore, and at that point his goal would have been to assassinate Lagaan as per his contract with...
What I don't understand is, why wait for Farshore? Is it only so he could blend in and get back home to Sasserine? There would have been plenty of opportunity on board ship to kill Lagaan, why wait? I just want to get all the motives straight for my campaign. I'll probably use a Doppleganger assassin for my hunter. Perhaps I could replace Rowyn with this bounty hunter, as my players killed her (though I told them her body was stolen), but I'd have to work out the undetectable alignment and other cover for the assassin.
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What I don't understand is, why wait for Farshore? Is it only so he could blend in and get back home to Sasserine?
Yes, he wanted to keep an exit strategy. If he had attacked Lagaan on board, he knew that the rest of the group would've had a much greater chance of later finding him than if he did this in Farshore.
Mirtul 11th, 1376 (continued)
A state of alert
Once it was clear that we were out of immediate danger, I turned back toward Sparkillo.
“Sparkie, are you all right?” I asked.
“Yeah, we beat them! That was totally awesome! Did you see how I disintegrated that naga in ONE SHOT??”
“But you died… We tried to save you, but it all happened too fast. How do you feel, after this most terrible of experiences?”
“I don’t know… It hurt at the time, but I’m feeling a lot better now! That was an amazing fight!!”
I couldn’t believe it. I had also died in the past, and I remembered the terrible feeling of agony. I feel strange writing this… Since death should be the final experience that anyone goes through, yet I am still here to write about it. However, thanks to the divine magic of the gods, it does not have to be so. But how could Sparkie have recovered so quickly? How could he be so enthusiastic after losing his very life??
Perhaps I will never understand what goes on in that infuriatingly cheerful and optimistic mind of his.
While I healed our wounds, we discussed strategy. There were still many enemies guarding the pyramid, but now, we had seen how slowly the Koprus moved. One of the plans we considered was to slay all of the troglodytes first, so the Koprus wouldn’t be able to reach us, and we’d be able to slay them safely with long-ranged attacks. Once we had recovered from the fight, we decided to send Lagaan to scout out the remaining defenses of the pyramid.
I cast a few protective spells on him, and he turned invisible again. He kept us informed of his progress through the telepathic link. We were still connected mentally, except for Sparkie, who’d lost all of his spells when he’d died.
Lagaan reported that the defenders of the pyramid were still on high alert. He saw at least twenty regular Koprus, ten large ones, three visible nagas, in addition to many more troglodytes. Unfortunately, he was spotted by one of the nagas, who used the illusion of a bright flashing arrow to show his position to the rest of the enemies. Lagaan barely escaped with his life when that naga and a Kopru Behemoth attacked him. They tried to gain control of his mind, to make him come back to the pyramid and become their slave, but by Tymora’s luck, he was able to resist and to run back to us. He was in a sorry state, he had gotten wounded by a Lightning Bolt, and even his bow had gotten damaged.
We decided to retreat back to Farshore. Even though we had been back in Golismorga for less than an hour, we had used many of our most powerful spells already, and the pyramid’s guardians were now ready for a fight. We decided to come back after a day of rest, and hopefully catch them by surprise.
Secrets
Sparkie teleported us back to Farshore, and we appeared inside the House of Trouble. Ulfgar’s pudgy little girlfriend rushed to greet him while I healed Lagaan’s new wounds. As I left the house to go rest at the Meravanchi estate, Avner approached me, waving a piece of parchment in his fist. As is often the case, he looked outraged. He started ranting on about a spot of land he wanted to use to build his own mansion, but which was to be the site of another statue in the honor of Trouble. And he had come to me to try to circumvent the town council’s decision to dedicate the statue at that location.
Why would the imbecile think that I would disagree with them? We saved the entire village on more than one occasion! I explained that to him, and rejected his request. I pointed toward the jungle: it’s a big island, he can place his damn building somewhere else!
On my way toward the estate, I saw Moretta in the distance. Strangely, she seemed to avoid me. How peculiar… After I had washed myself, I looked around for her. In the previous week, she and I had not spent much time together. I had assumed that she was just zealously performing duties at the temple, but when I thought about it some more, it seemed she had been avoiding me on purpose. I finally found her at the town’s garrison. She was putting on a flowing robe over her regular clothes, but my keen eyes had caught a glimpse of something…
“Good morning, Moretta,” I said.
“Oh… hello, Belessa. I’m glad to see you made it back.”
I gave her a humorless smile. I had noticed that she had put on this robe to cover her new curves. How could she hide this from me?
“Congratulations,” I said simply.
She froze, with a look of fear on her face.
I continued: “It’s a good thing that Tolin and you are married now, people are going to start noticing it. You’re clearly much more than two weeks pregnant. So it must date back to when I was in Sasserine. How long were you planning on keeping it a secret?”
At that moment, Tolin entered the room. We greeted each other, but I could see that he was wary in my presence. I congratulated him as well, and I caught his worried look toward Moretta. Clearly, they had both been trying to hide this from me…
“This is a joyful occasion,” I continued. “I’m very happy for both of you. Really.” I kissed Moretta on both cheeks, but as I held her arms, I could feel her shivering slightly. I pulled back and saw that she was crying. “What’s wrong, honey? Being pregnant is a beautiful thing…”
Still at a loss for words, she ran out of the room.
“Please, she’s my wife,” said Tolin in a tone that was a bit too defensive. “I’ll handle the situation.”
I gave him a dark look. “If you wish… Tolin.”
The limit of my patience
We spent the rest of the day resting. Sparkillo repaired Lagaan’s damaged bow, while the thief and Ulfgar went to get drunk at the tavern. I went to the temple, where Bereleth showed me the almost-complete holy fount that could be used for scrying spells. I congratulated him on getting the job done well and quickly, and we spent a few hours sanctifying the relic.
At some point, the very drunk fools, Lagaan and Ulfgar, came to visit at the temple. They were bored to death and trying to get in trouble. They looked around at the alcoves showing the icons of the various gods of Farshore, and while I was talking with Bereleth, Ulfgar suddenly hurried toward the holy fount and vomited inside it.
“Burps… Ooohhh… Sorry ‘bout that…” he mumbled.
I glared at him. Everything was deathly silent around us.
“Get out,” I said with a deceptively calm voice.
Lagaan giggled in a corner.
“T’was an accident, I’dn’mean’to…” stammered Ulfgar.
“Get out,” I repeated slightly louder.
Lagaan was still laughing, and Bereleth advanced toward Ulfgar. “You heard the High Priestess,” he said, his voice dripping with venom. “Leave this place at once! Both of you!”
“Bah, don’t get her panties in a bunch, elf boy…” started Ulfgar.
Bereleth spoke the words of a dark prayer, and a wave of dark energy glowed around his clenched fist all of a sudden, as he approached Ulfgar to smite him.
“Could’ve been worse, buddy,” said Lagaan, “we could’ve peed in the water. Don’t think it would’ve stayed sacred after that”.
“GET OUT!!!!!” I roared at the two imbeciles, furiously pointing at the door, and finally, even through their drunkenness, they realized in what danger they were, and they retreated.
Once they were gone, I turned back toward Bereleth. “And Bereleth, never threaten any of my companions again.”
“But mistress, you saw what they did…”
“Of course I did! But they would just slay you, you fool! You cannot hope to defeat members of Trouble in combat! We are heroes! We have slain demons, we have slain hordes of monstrous cave-dwellers, we have even slain the most enormous dinosaur of the Isle of Dread!”
Bereleth flinched at being the new target of my ire.
I lowered my voice. “They will be punished for their insolence… in due time. These simpletons keep forgetting that I am their healer; that their lives depend upon my good will on a daily basis. And that I am as skilled at inflicting pain as I am at relieving it. Believe me… When the time is right, they will pay…”
The elf’s sinister smile matched my own.
“Now, clean up this mess at once,” I commanded. “I want this basin to be pristine the next time I come here!”
Dark musings
I had arranged to meet Brissa at the tavern that evening. Most of my companions were also there, but I ignored them. I had no patience to deal with their infantile behavior that night. I wanted to spend some time with one of my good friends, and I was still concerned about Moretta’s odd behavior earlier that day.
I walked right by the table where Lagaan was sprawled, snoring loudly, completely drunk. At his side, Ulfgar looked much more sober, but also utterly miserable. For the first time I could recall, he had a glass of water in front of him, instead of a mug or bottle of alcohol.
Brissa and I spoke about Moretta. She had talked to her already, and at first seemed a bit reluctant to tell me what was wrong, but I was able to convince her to confide in me. It turned out that Moretta was ashamed. She knew that my baby had been sacrificed to Umberlee, and now, she was worried that I would try to challenge her faith in the same way; that I would make her choose between her baby and the church.
I was flabbergasted that my young acolyte could be so badly misguided. I had told her before about my terrible experience, and at the horrible sacrifice I’d been forced to make: my baby in exchange for getting my powers back. But her situation was completely different. I had protected her, nurtured her since we’d met in Sasserine. She had always remained on Umberlee’s good side. Why did she think such a tremendous sacrifice would be required from her? And how could she think that I, of all people, would commit such an atrocity against her?
I felt betrayed. There were already so many people who hated me for my beliefs, for the choices I had been forced to make to survive. So many ingrates who disregarded the countless honorable deeds I performed to make this world a better place… so many idiots who simply could not understand who I was at all.
But Moretta was supposed to be my friend.
She should’ve known better…
Did she really think I was a crazy zealot like the priests in Calimshan?
Did she think I would be so jealous to see her pregnant, while I was not, that I would kill her baby? Did she really think I could be such a monster?
Had she ever truly understood me?
I looked back at my relationship with Moretta. I had always trusted her, confided in her. I had begun to think of her as a sister… infinitely preferable to the two shrews who were my real flesh-and-blood sisters.
Had this trust been misplaced?
And what about Tolin? I disliked the man. He was an arrogant ass. I had never felt totally comfortable seeing Moretta with him, but given the lack of eligible bachelors (of which Avner and Lagaan were some of the worst examples), I had felt that Tolin was the lesser of various evils. Yet he didn’t like me. What had he said behind my back? Had he convinced Moretta to turn away from me?
I was suddenly filled with loathing for the man… And felt a strong urge to avenge myself for the pain he was indirectly causing me now…
I shared these feelings with Brissa. It felt good to be able to talk to her. There were so few people who accepted me for what I was. I had thought until that day that Moretta was one of them. I clearly saw then, that I had been wrong.
While we talked, I played with a metal symbol I held in my hands. My companions and I were risking our lives to save this world from the threat of Shadow Pearls. Hell, Sparkie had even DIED today… Was it worth it?
I looked around at the people in the tavern. They were drinking, laughing, gambling. Miserable curs, all of them. Were their lives really worth saving? What the hell did I care that they should live or die? Would they sacrifice themselves to save me? Never! Many of them hated me… And those that did not only appreciated me because of my beauty or power. They did not really know me…
“That medallion in your hand,” said Brissa. “Belessa, is that the symbol of…”
“Demogorgon. Yes. The two-headed monkey-demon… I still remember the glimpse I caught of it in that cursed mirror, and my heart still clenches with fear. The Koprus of Golismorga worship him. We found symbols like this one on those we killed earlier today.”
“Is he the one that’s behind the Shadow Pearls? Behind the cataclysm that wiped out Kraken’s Cove… that killed my uncle, and almost killed me, too?”
I nodded gravely.
“Then I pray to Umberlee that you stop him!” she said fervently.
“This being is much too powerful even for us to defeat. But I hope that perhaps, if we can destroy the source of these Shadow Pearls, his influence upon our world will be broken.” I tossed the medallion on the table, where it fell with a dull clang. “Yes, we’re supposed to save the world… I just wish the world tried a bit harder to convince me that it’s worth saving.”
Brissa looked at me, visibly uncomfortable.
I forced myself to give her a smile. “Don’t worry. We’ll go back down there tomorrow. And Umberlee willing, we’ll kill another wave of these horrible Koprus, and we’ll keep doing it until they’re all dead.”
“I wonder what we would do if it weren’t for Trouble,” said Brissa after some time.
“I wonder what I would do if you weren’t here,” I told her. “I’m glad I have you, my friend. Promise you won’t ever push me away like Moretta did…”
She promised it to me, and we hugged.
Later that night, once I was back at the Meravanchi estate, I wondered if perhaps the reason Moretta had become so secretive toward me was because she was jealous of my relationship with Brissa. She and I had become very close during our trip to Sasserine. Had Moretta felt that I was favoring Brissa over her? Was she just trying to get back at me for doing that? Could she really be so childish?
All these dark thoughts of betrayal and sacrifice made me think of my poor lover Dolmord, father of my short-lived child, who (hopefully) was still alive, but rotting in a jail somewhere. I tried to contact him through magic, but got no response. That made me even more depressed… Had he finally been slain? Or was he simply unconscious?
I changed into my nightclothes and slipped into Manthalay’s dark bedroom. He was already asleep, oblivious to the fact that I had been trying to contact his rival. I quietly chuckled to myself, at the absurdity of the situation, as I gently sat down on a side of the bed. For a few moments, I stared at the dark shape of the sleeping Manthalay, and then I sighed. I was yearning for the touch of a man… but as much as I could lie to myself, deep down, I knew that it was Dolmord’s strong embrace that I ached for.
Mirtul 12th, 1376
Umberlee’s lesson
That morning, we gathered in the House of Trouble, and I summoned a Heroes’ Feast for the entire group. I was still furious at Lagaan and Ulfgar, and kept conversation to a minimum. Lagaan looked badly hung over, and Ulfgar looked miserable as well, but in a different way than he usually did.
While we were eating, Brissa suddenly barged into the dining room, clutching a letter in her hand.
“Belessa, I have to talk to you… in private!” she said urgently.
Once we were alone in her room, she showed me the letter: it was from Moretta. She had left it for Brissa to find, some time during the night. It said that she was too afraid that I would try to do something to her baby, and that she and Tolin would take a sailboat during the night and flee the town to escape my wrath. Moretta admitted in her letter that she felt ashamed of putting her own happiness, meaning her baby, before the faith. She felt unworthy, compared to me: she was not willing to make the sacrifice I had done.
What a silly girl… She had it all wrong!
I had never been given a choice!
I sighed heavily. Of course, I could use magic to contact her and try to reason with her. But I had my own concerns to deal with. Today, once again, I would be in mortal danger. Let the fool girl spend a few days navigating the waters around the island. Maybe it would give her a sense of perspective. Once the menace of the Shadow Pearls was dealt with, if we indeed succeeded, I would contact her and try to make her see reason.
And Tolin, that damned fool! He was the captain of the guard! How could he abandon his post like that!?
I thanked Brissa for bringing this to my attention, and went to finish my meal. Once that was done, I went to the temple and gave instructions for Cato to take over Moretta’s duties. I also informed Manthalay of Tolin’s treason. Then, I returned to the House of Trouble, where we prepared ourselves for our next assault on the pyramid.
Raguhl approached me and said in a low voice: “Belessa, I heard about what happened at the temple yesterday, with Ulfgar. How long is the curse going to last?”
“What curse?” I asked.
“The one that prevents him from drinking beer.”
“He can’t drink beer?”
“No… Since that incident at the temple, when he tries to drink beer, or any kind of alcohol, it tastes like salt water to him.”
I burst out laughing at the dwarf’s plight. So THAT’s why he had been looking so miserable that morning: it was because he was completely sober!
“That wasn’t my doing. I think Umberlee is just teaching our friend a lesson,” I told Raguhl with a wink.
Taking the pyramid
Our plan that morning was to teleport directly to the summit of the pyramid and hit the enemies with a deadly surprise attack. If things looked too grim, Sparkillo and/or I were to teleport us back to Farshore. We went to the basement, so our eyes could get used to the darkness ahead of time, and I cast several protective spells over each and every one of us, including Protection from Chaos and Freedom of Movement. I was also surrounded by an aura of Invisibility Purge.
So we found ourselves at the top of the pyramid, back in the darkness of Golismorga. Around us stood four of the massive Kopru behemoths, and a dark naga slithered nearby as well. The center of the pyramid’s top level was not covered in stones, but rather, a thick layer of flesh that had the appearance of bulging, bruise-colored muscle.
Close to us, covering part of the top level, as well as one-quarter of the pyramid, to my left, was a huge patch of foul green mold. It seemed highly corrosive, because Lagaan, who had landed on top of it, yelled in pain, and his magical slippers started smoking. While the thief jumped out of the patch of mold, the rest of the group went on the offensive. With a single Disintegrate spell, Sparkillo killed the naga. Ulfgar and Raguhl attacked the closest behemoth. I spotted another naga down the stairs on our side of the pyramid. I walked down to get closer to it, and cast a Destruction spell at it. The monster writhed in pain, but survived.
The surprise attack had worked to our advantage: we were in a much better position than the previous day, when the pyramid had been on high alert. The three behemoths that weren’t in combat with our warriors roared to raise the alarm, and drank potions from their belts. They then started to float in the air, approaching us. Meanwhile, Lagaan was scraping off the poisonous mold from his slippers with a dagger; the blade sizzled and melted within moment. Lagaan’s face was pale and sweating: clearly, the contact with the mold had badly affected him.
Below me, the naga approached and cast a spell intended to render me helpless with laughter.
“You think such a puny spell will work on me?” I told the creature. “Ha ha ha!”
The monster smiled when it saw me start to laugh…
“… but seriously, that’s not funny,” I added.
I was now quite close to the dark reptile, and I uttered another dark prayer. I touched it with my metal glove, and prayed for its death. The monster shivered in pain once again, its face twisted in the agony of its final moments. And then it slumped to the ground: I had killed it with my Slay Living spell!
I looked down and saw that most of this side of the pyramid was covered with the toxic fungus. On the ground level, many troglodytes and Koprus were frantically moving toward the other sides of the pyramid, to climb up and attack us. But none of them dared to tread on the green fungus. I therefore started climbing back up. When I reached the summit, I saw that my companions had already slain three of the Kopru behemoths: they lay on the ground in various stages of axe-and-sword-generated dismemberment, and one of them had been charred by Sparkillo’s magic as well. The fourth behemoth was flying up into the darkness, trying to escape with its life. Lagaan shot it, and Sparkillo cast a Cone of Cold at it, but the monster managed to flee.
I couldn’t see Raguhl, but I heard his roars from the stairs to my right. I saw some flashes of fire and heard the cries of pain of a naga: he was clearly fighting another one of those creatures.
I reached the edge of the pyramid on Raguhl’s side, just in time to see the muscular lizardman slice his opponent in two with his glowing greatsword. A large group of troglodytes, some of which were bearing Koprus, were climbing up the stairs in our direction. I could hear more coming from my left, the side that Ulfgar was now guarding. What’s more, several Kopru behemoths were now flying in our direction. Several of us felt our minds assaulted by their psychic powers, but thanks to the blessings I had placed on everyone, we were immune to them.
As one of the behemoths landed near Sparkillo and me, a flying naga approached and landed on the other side of the pyramid’s summit. The snake cast a spell at Ulfgar, and we also saw the dwarf get hit by rays of fire coming from down the stairs he was guarding: there was yet another naga down there!
Sparkillo cast a Disintegrate spell at the naga at the top, but she resisted the deadly spell and only suffered minor wounds. Ulfgar charged the naga and sliced her with his axe. I cast a Sound Burst, stunning the creature, and finally, Lagaan finished her off while she stood stunned and helpless: he shot an arrow in each of her eyes! It had been a good team effort!
Two behemoths landed next to Ulfgar and attacked him. They tried to constrict him with their barbed tails, but thanks to my magic, they were unable to get a hold of him. The third behemoth wounded Sparkillo as well. I heard a roar behind me and saw that Raguhl had climbed back up, and was rushing to defend Sparkie. He stabbed the behemoth furiously.
Suddenly, we were surrounded by a blazing inferno that exploded all around us. I winced from the pain, but I was able to survive it. When I opened my eyes again, I saw that another naga was flying above Ulfgar’s stairs, and was responsible for this new attack. Thankfully, Ulfgar had been too far to be caught in the blast, and Lagaan, Sparkie and Raguhl had completely avoided the explosion, or taken only very minimal damage.
Ulfgar was fighting his two behemoths, but was having trouble hitting them, most likely due to a Displacement spell. Sparkie and I targeted the behemoth and the naga that stood behind him: Sparkie first cast a Cone of Cold on them, and I followed with a Freezing Sphere. The naga was transformed into a frozen statue, slain by our powerful magic, and the behemoth was badly wounded as well. Lagaan then went to hide behind the ice statue, and shot with deadly aim toward the behemoth that had survived the two ice spells, killing it! Yet another behemoth fell to the ground with a loud thud.
By then, the troglodytes had reached the top of the stairs. A group of them surrounded Lagaan, who stood near the south (at least I think it was south) stairs, while another group rushed toward Sparkie, Raguhl and I, since we stood near the western stairs. They tried to claw us, but we succeeded in dodging or absorbing all of their attacks. Pathetic weaklings!
At the same time, the behemoth continued to strike Sparkie, badly beating up our friend, but Raguhl struck the monster even more mercilessly. He sliced off both of its limbs, ran his sword through the monster’s chest, and cut its head off. Then, with a roar, he kicked the enormous corpse into the poisonous fungus!
“I won’t let you die again, Sparkie!” he shouted.
Despite his many wounds, Sparkillo kept fighting bravely. A bolt of crackling bluish lightning burst forth from his hands, striking three troglodytes that had been crowding close to me. They were shocked to death. Raguhl also killed another one, and I moved to stand at the top of the stairs. I saw several more of the monsters climbing toward me in the pervasive darkness, and I unleashed a furious Ice Storm into their midst. I was satisfied to hear their agonizing screams of pain as the unnatural cold and relentless hail snuffed their lives away.
Behind me, I heard a victorious cry of: “SPARKILLO!”. I briefly looked back and saw that the mage had slain Ulfgar’s behemoth with another spell. The dwarf in turn rushed to help Lagaan against the troglodytes he had been fighting.
“Surprise! You’re dead!” grunted Ulfgar, as he cleaved three of the troglodytes with a mighty swing of his frost-imbued dwarven waraxe.
By then, my ice storm had ended. The stairs were covered with the bodies of my victims. Only two of them had survived, and now I saw that they were not troglodytes, but Koprus. I felt their mental attacks trying to gain control of my mind, in vain. Behind them, a few more troglodytes were fearfully climbing up, but the bulk of their forces was retreating. Koprus were being lifted into palanquins, and troglodyte slaves were starting to carry their masters into the darkness of the city. They were beaten: they had failed to protect Holashner’s Ziggurat!
“That’s right, fools!” I shouted at them. “Flee! Flee into the darkness and know that you have been vanquished by the mighty heroes of Trouble!”
“Damnit, Ulfgar! What’s wrong with you?” shouted Lagaan from behind us.
Raguhl rushed down the stairs and swung his blade at one of the two Koprus, slicing its head in two. The creature collapsed to the ground, just a moment before its ally was burned to death by Scorching Rays cast by Sparkillo, who had come to stand at my side.
“Damnit, Belessa! Now I can’t turn invisible!” shouted Lagaan again.
I turned around to see what the thief was complaining about this time, and to my surprise, I saw that he was walking on the edge of the pyramid with his magical slippers. He looked like he had been badly wounded by… Ulfgar’s axe! While a few troglodytes were trying to scale the side of the pyramid to reach Lagaan (one of which failed and fell crashing to the ground below), the dwarf advanced toward Sparkillo and I with a maniacal grin on his bearded face.
“Careful with that axe, Ulfgar,” warned Sparkillo, as he ducked to hide behind me.
“How could he get mind controlled?” I said, preparing to defend myself from Ulfgar’s attacks. “He was supposed to be immune… They must’ve dispelled his protections!”
To confirm our suspicion, the Koprus were yelling at the troglodytes in Olman, instructing them not to attack the dwarf in armor. Sparkie and I cast some Break Enchantment spells at Ulfgar, trying to free him of their control, and thankfully, we were able to restore him just before he attacked us.
Ulfgar blinked for a moment or two. “What the… What was I doing again? Oh yeah, I remember now!” and with that, he swung his axe toward the troglodytes that had come up with him, slaying two of them. I cast a new Protection from Chaos spell on Ulfgar, and he rushed off toward the southern stairs with Raguhl, where they and Lagaan killed the last remaining troglodytes and Koprus. Sparkie and I returned toward the west stairway, and while I healed the wizard, he killed the remaining troglodytes with a Fireball spell.
Victory! The top and sides of the pyramid were littered with the countless corpses of our enemies. We had defeated them, and the only survivors were now cowering in the dark recesses of their stinking city! We had gained control of their base!
Holashner’s Ziggurat
Once the fight was over, I healed our wounds. Raguhl had barely been wounded, as his ring of fire resistance and his gargoyle crown had protected him from most of the damage. I had only been burned superficially by that one fireball. Ulfgar had taken several wounds, but nothing too critical. Sparkie, however, had been badly wounded by the behemoth, and Lagaan was the worst off of all. He had been attacked by Ulfgar, and had suffered terribly from the green mold. But soon enough, I had healed him completely.
We examined our surroundings. The Koprus all wore unholy symbols of Demogorgon, and the top of the pyramid was adorned with more runes dedicated to the Prince of Demons. So we were really in a temple of this wicked Demon-Lord. As we observed this, I was reminded that Demogorgon rose to power in large part due to some information he gained through Dagon, that ancient Obyrith demon who was an enemy of Umberlee. Demogorgon was also a foe of Malar, the god of beasts, who was an ally of my goddess.
While we were looking around, Ulfgar took out his shortsword and cut open some of the quivering flesh at the top of the pyramid. It bled sickly, and then the wound closed again. He tried several more times, but every time, after a few moments, the cuts he made regenerated. Ulfgar then removed a few of the stone slabs covering the rest of the top of the pyramid, and underneath, we saw some disgusting milky white eyes, toothless mouths and gills.
We soon became aware of a nearby presence, and turned to see that Rakis-Ka had joined us. He congratulated us for our victory and asked if he could examine the pyramid as well. He also warned us that a force of Koprus and troglodytes had left the city after our attack the previous day. He suspected that they were trying to bring some Shadow Pearls to the surface. We decided that we needed to stop them, perhaps by teleporting to the temple where we had met the troglodyte ghost, but first, we wanted to explore the pyramid.
Using an Analyze Dweomer spell, Sparkillo learned much about Holashner’s Ziggurat. This pyramid of purple flesh was indeed a living entity. It had been a creation of the Aboleth, made in honor of Holashner, who had come long ago and left behind some black bile. This building oozed black bile, which normally solidified quickly, but inside the pyramid lived an entity created by the Aboleth with the essence of Holashner. That creature could keep the black bile in liquid state. Even with this powerful magic, Sparkillo did not learn the purpose for which the Aboleth had wanted to harvest the black bile, but he discovered that the green mold was the city’s natural reaction to the invasion of the Koprus, and that it had the potential to harm them just as it had harmed Lagaan.
What’s more, Sparkillo learned that Demogorgon had come to know of this black bile, and wanted to use it for his own schemes: creating the Shadow Pearls. The pyramid had three levels, and the muscle at its top was the only entrance. We learned that the building itself could be controlled mentally: this is surely how the Koprus gained entrance to it!
Our wizard waved his hands in the air and cast a Charm Monster spell on the pyramid. He commanded it to let us enter, and sure enough, the huge patch of flesh that stood before us opened up into a dark, foul-smelling chamber twenty feet below. With a Feather Fall spell, Sparkillo allowed us to jump down and start exploring the pyramid, while Rakis-Ka remained behind to examine the exterior.
Demogorgon’s gift
We were now inside the living pyramid. A vile odor surrounded us, and the walls, ceiling and floor all around us formed a breathing, living room. The surfaces were covered with blackened lungs, inside-out hearts and more of those milky white eyes. In a corner of the room, a chute led down to a lower level, so since there was nothing of interest where we were, we dropped down into there.
I was the last one down there, and by the time I arrived, my companions were already in combat. I looked around and saw, under the dancing lights of our weapons, that a bust of Demogorgon stood against one of the walls, both heads roaring. Near that statue was a kind of divan that looked like a gigantic black tumor, and behind it, another Kopru was being attacked by Ulfgar and Raguhl. Lagaan stood on top of the divan and fought the creature as well. Part of the room’s floors was covered by stone slabs, but the rest was more of this living matter, covered with a thick layer of foul liquid.
The Kopru had already been wounded by the two warriors and by Lagaan, but it had completely resisted the Scorching Ray that Sparkie had cast at it. The monster moved strangely, and somehow, there were two images of its head superimposed on each other: this must’ve been a gift of Demogorgon to his priest. The Kopru seemed to be able to act as two different people thanks to this.
“Demogorgon will devour your souls!” roared one of the heads, before the other one cast a spell of Silence that caught me and Sparkillo in its area. Then, the creature unleashed a furious series of assaults against Raguhl with its spear, bite and tail, but it failed to cause any serious damage to the lizardman, who was well protected by his crown’s magic.
Sparkillo and I cast silent versions of the Dispel Magic spell on our opponent, bypassing the need to speak. I used the special rod I have for just such an effect. The Kopru tried to cast spells on Sparkie and Ulfgar, but they both resisted. Meanwhile, the warriors continued to hit it with their weapons. Sparkillo also cast another volley of Scorching Rays, and this time, they burned the enemy. Cursing the warriors, the monster stabbed Ulfgar over and over again with its spear, but eventually, it fell, slain simultaneously by Ulfgar’s axe and Lagaan’s rapier.
Once the monster was dead, we searched the room and found several magical items on him, and more on the tumor-like divan. The Kopru had been carrying a golden symbol of Demogorgon, and we assumed it had been the leader of the cultists here.
We eventually found a trap door close to the statue of Demogorgon. Lagaan removed four huge black pearls that served as eyes for the demon, and Ulfgar hit the statue with his axe. However, they both felt that a curse had been placed upon them. We discussed this, and discovered that whenever the name “Demogorgon” was pronounced, they were wracked with pain and had trouble moving for a few moments.
“Great,” said Ulfgar. “Now I’m cursed twice…”
Mirtul 12th, 1376 (continued)
Heart of the Ziggurat
Among the priest’s magical possessions, the most intriguing of all was an item called a portable hole: a hole in reality that can be carried, folded like a cloth, and unfolded to reveal a dimensional pocket, much like those Sparkillo creates with his Rope Trick spell. We carefully opened the hole and found that it was filled with cold, dark water. It seemed ominous: could a foul aquatic guardian be lurking within? After a brief discussion, we decided to investigate this item at a later time.
Lagaan examined the trap door in the floor, and opened it. Below us, we caught glimpses of another level of the pyramid, larger than the others and shrouded in darkness. From the opening came a foul stench of oily bile. We saw the dark shapes of pools of this dark bubbling liquid, with small ripples breaking their surface. As we examined the room from our vantage position, under the light of my trident and Raguhl’s sword, we noticed that the oil had a sick green taint to it. Within the pools, we saw that several pristine black orbs, each as big as a man’s head, were floating. They were shimmering with a dim inner light.
A ladder, shaped for the Koprus’ unusual bodies, led into the lower level, which also looked like the inside of a gigantic organ, surrounded by sagging tendons and foul entrails.
We knew we had finally found the heart of the pyramid: the place where the vile Koprus created the Shadow Pearls from these pools of black bile. But we couldn’t see the parasite that we knew laired down there. We sensed that danger awaited us down below, so we decided that I would summon a monster to scout the place out; but just as I was starting to cast my spell, a foul being emerged from one of the pools where it had been hiding. We could not see its entire bulk due to the shadows and the black oil, but it was huge, some kind of cross between a fiendish centipede and a squid. While its many limbs flailed chaotically around it, the creature spit a cone of black acid which hit Lagaan, Raguhl and I. As soon as the noxious substance came in contact with us, it burst into flames!
A few moments of sheer pandemonium followed, where we tried desperately to put out the flames and remove the acid with a few simple spells. Lagaan also closed the trap door with a kick.
We recovered soon enough, and thankfully, the monster did not bash through the trap door to attack us. It seemed that we had quite a difficult battle ahead of us: if we were to suffer our foe’s jets of burning acid for an extended period of time, we would surely perish. I would need to protect the entire group with my holy magic, but alas, I was too drained of energy by then. We therefore decided to return to rest in Sasserine, and try this fight again the following day.
Once we were back to safety, Sparkie identified the magical items, most of which were quite potent and useful. I took a wand of healing, and Ulfgar received some exceptionally rare bracers of health. I also badly wanted them, but the others insisted that they be given to one of the warriors.
Once that was done, we decided to investigate the portable hole. We brought it with us to a remote corner of the beach, and carefully emptied its contents on the sand. Thankfully, it contained no foul monster, nor any dangerous magic such as Shadow Pearls. We found only water and a few sea shells within.
“I guess the priest was using it as a resting place,” suggested Ulfgar.
“Maybe he created the water with this,” replied Raguhl, showing us the decanter of endless water he had claimed for himself, from the priest’s treasure.
“Yes!” said Sparkie. “That explains why some water could be found within Golismorga…”
Since I had gotten very little in terms of treasure in the recent past, I was able to convince the rest of the group that the portable hole should be mine. This way, I will be the one controlling the receptacle of most of our group’s wealth… Instead of someone untrustworthy, like, say… Lagaan.
We rested for the remainder of the day. My thoughts once again turned toward Moretta, but I did not contact her. Perhaps some time spent in exile would give her a sense of perspective. But I decided to revoke some of her privileges. I named Cato the new curate in her stead, and I gave instructions for Penkus to obey Cato, instead of Moretta, when I am absent. I could’ve assigned him to Bereleth, but… I still don’t trust the elf. I’m not sure why. There is something inherently despicable about that one.
Cato is an unimaginative brute… But he is a good candidate for this position. I hope that with him in charge of the church in Farshore, I won’t suffer any more insubordination from my underlings.
At supper that evening, Manthalay and I discussed again the disappearance of Tolin and my young acolyte. He was not worried, or even outraged at their disappearance. He stated very calmly that Tolin had informed him that he was recruiting mercenaries among the savages, to bolster the town guard in addition to the Black Shield mercenaries.
While my consort discussed some tedious details of the town’s defenses, I listened in silence with narrowed eyes. As usual, he had completely failed to acknowledge my feelings. I had been betrayed by one I had called friend… the young woman I had sheltered, confided in. The one I had trusted and given a position of honor in this promising colony.
No, Manthalay was, as is often the case, quite oblivious to what was going on inside my heart.
Once dinner was over, I left the mansion in silence and went to pray in peace on the moonlit beach. I had no desire to spend the night with someone who understood me so little.
Mirtul 13th, 1376
The real N’Gloth Noru
The following morning, after our usual magical breakfast at the House of Trouble, we teleported back into the darkness below the island. We had decided that our highest priority now was stopping the patrol of Koprus that Rakis-Ka had warned us about: those who had left the pyramid after our first attack, perhaps to bring some Shadow Pearls toward the surface for some nefarious scheme.
We appeared on the edge of the temple where we had previously spoken with the troglodyte ghost called N’Gloth Noru. The place was eerily quiet, and was still bathed in a blue light coming from the strange glyph drawn on the ceiling.
“What the?...” whispered Ulfgar.
“What is it?” asked Raguhl.
“I’m not sure,” replied the dwarf. “I thought I saw something move in the water.” He looked at us darkly. “Something big.”
At that moment, the troglodyte ghost appeared on its ledge and greeted us. Suddenly, something clicked inside my mind. Now all the pieces of the puzzle fit together. I let out a low curse in Orcish.
“What did you say?” asked Lagaan curiously.
“I think I just figured it out,” I told the others in a whisper. “I think the ghost is just an illusion. I think there’s an Aboleth living in the dark waters! He’s been fooling us all along!”
“Well I’ll be… How did you guess that?”
“What Ulfgar just saw… and the fact that this ghost asked us to break Tlaloc’s Tear… Which would, so very conveniently, also have the side-effect of bringing all the Aboleths back to life!”
Carefully, I tested my theory, jumping on the closest pillar’s top and casting a Detect Magic spell at the troglodyte ghost. Just as I’d suspected, it radiated illusion magic. The rest of the room was also bathed in a strong abjuration aura. I jumped back to safety and called out (totally ignoring the ghost’s questions): “There’s really no need to keep up the charade, sir Aboleth. We know you’ve been trying to trick us with an illusion. Won’t you come out so we can have a real discussion?”
The ghost flickered briefly like a candle, and disappeared. Soon after, the surface of the water was broken by a huge fish-like silhouette that watched us with its alien eyes, glistening in the shadows.
“You now see my true self…” said the Aboleth in a deep and calm voice. “Yes, I am one of the ancient dwellers of this dark realm. Few members of your mortal kin have gazed upon one of us in eons. Surely we can come to an understanding. My people pose no threat to you.”
“Well, you tried to trick us,” remarked Sparkillo.
“Perhaps, but I now realize that we have a common enemy. I’m not sure how much trouble you’ve caused those fiends by now...”
“It’s safe to say they don’t like us very much,” I replied smugly. “The few who are still alive don’t like us very much.”
“That’s good to hear,” said the aberration. “We can work together.”
“What do you have to offer?” asked Sparkie.
“Information. Access to the ancient lore of the Aboleth. And I can also offer the gratitude of a race of eternal beings.”
“It’s true,” whispered Sparkie to the rest of us. “They live for a very, very long time. Longer even than elves.”
“But can we trust them?” asked Raguhl in a low growl.
“No. We can’t trust them. There are actually few creatures more evil than them. But they’re also lawful, so I guess that makes them better than the spawn of Demogorgon.”
As soon as the demon’s name escaped the lips of our wizard, Ulfgar and Lagaan winced in pain. They still suffered from the curse.
“Stop… Saying… His… Damned…Name…” grunted Ulfgar, shooting a murderous glare at Sparkie.
“Sorry!” replied the elf.
A moment later, once he’d recovered from the shock, Lagaan said: “The water here must also have been created by the Koprus… With their decanter of endless water.”
Then, the Aboleth addressed us again: “I can assure you that having my people on your side would be very helpful to you. I don’t know your true allegiance. In truth, I find it hard to believe you’re Crimson Pirates. I hope you were not truly hoping to deceive me with such a primitive disguise. My race is, after all, vastly superior to others in intellect.”
“Really?” I asked. “Prove it, then. What’s the square root of 2049?”
The monster gave a deep sigh, and then replied: “Perhaps we could reach an understanding if you at least explained to me your objective.”
“Why don’t you start at beginning, actually,” asked Sparkillo. “How did you come to be in water, how did the water come here?”
“Your friend is right, they used their magical decanter. Like the other Aboleths, I was turned to stone by the effects of Tlaloc’s Tear. I entered the Long Dreaming. I spent centuries in torpor, neither alive nor dead.”
“That’s nice,” replied the elf absently. “But what incentives do you have for us to help you? Short-term incentives?”
“Shiny incentives,” I added.
Lagaan chuckled.
“Well,” replied the Aboleth, ”when it comes to shinies, unfortunately, those have probably been looted eons ago.”
“Yes, that’ll happen,” interjected Lagaan. “By the way, it’s a nice city you people had over there. Too bad it’s dying,” he added mockingly.
“It is truly a shame,” replied the Aboleth with a hint of sadness in its deep, alien voice. “But I assure you that if you revived us by destroying the tear, we would get rid of all the Koprus for you. None would escape our wrath!”
“Meh, we already killed most of them,” replied Lagaan.
“We have already the situation under control,” I added. “I’m trying to think of any way you could possibly help us, but we’re already in a very advantageous position.”
“You sure are,” admitted the creature. “Name your price. What do you want?”
“I’m not aware that you have anything we desire.”
“That would be a shortcoming of vision. I’m sure if you probe deeper, you can think of things an entire city of my people could give you.”
“Or, you could enslave us,” I pointed out.
“You should know by now you’re much too powerful for that. We will strike at our true enemies, the Koprus, and any others who invaded our city. Then, we will rebuild it to its former glory. This will take many lifetimes, even for the elves who consider themselves long-lived. Your people won’t have to worry about us for a long time. Tell me what you truly want. I know you’re not Crimson Pirates. And I know you have vested interest in those Shadow Pearls.”
“We want to make sure there are no more of these being created,” I said.
“Rest assured, if they are created in Golismorga, we will put an end to it. We take no interest in pure chaos. We are much more disciplined. We don’t like senseless fury. The only remnants of the age of chaos we cared to take interest in were those purple flame pillars.”
“What were those?” I asked.
“The Pillars of Ishak,” replied the Aboleth.
“Yeah, we knew that already,” said Lagaan.
“They are monuments of an Elder Evil called Ishak. I can say nothing more that you would comprehend, except that those beings were of pure destruction and mindless fury.”
“Why do you take interest in Ishak… and its pillars?” asked Sparkie.
“They are tied to the history of Golismorga. Every building of our city has its history.”
We then discussed among ourselves in hushed tones, although we suspected the creature might be able to read our minds. We considered killing it. Lagaan asked Sparkie to destroy the water in the room with magic, but the wizard informed him that he thought it probably took a few days for an Aboleth to become petrified: it wasn’t an instant effect. Nevertheless, if the water were to disappear, we guessed that the fight would become much easier… as long as we could avoid its mental attacks. Personally, I was more inclined to simply let it wallow in the miserable loneliness of its pool forever…
“We’re not quite sure what to do with you,” finally said Sparkie. “But the clock is ticking, and we have some troglodytes to kill… And you haven’t really tempted us with anything useful in exchange for our help.”
“I’m just curious,” I said. “What kind of interaction did you have with the Koprus, exactly?”
“The Koprus came here very recently, all things considered,” replied the Aboleth. “They knew nothing about Golismorga, but I knew a lot… They were, as you guessed, the ones who revived me. And they asked me many questions.”
“And you answered them?” asked Sparkie.
“I did. The same way I could provide you with answers if I were so inclined. But I would need something in return. I could give you access to tremendous power, as I did for them.”
“Why did you give them any information at all?” I asked.
“It was in my best interest.”
“I still don’t understand why they did all the Shadow Pearl transfers in this room. Or was that a lie too?”
“No, it was true.”
“But why here?”
“Because it was a good middle ground between the surface and Golismorga,” said the Aboleth. “The Koprus are extremely slow on land. This was the most convenient location. There are a number of other passages out of Golismorga that lead directly into the sea.”
“And why did they keep you alive once they had your knowledge?”
“For their sick enjoyment… Take for example this glyph on the ceiling. It provides light for us, but it also used to be a glyph of power for my people.”
“Indeed, I had suspected it was of Aboleth design,” said Sparkillo.
“I thought this place was an Olman temple before?” said Lagaan.
“I believe they created it when I was asleep,” replied the Aboleth. “The Koprus placed the glyph there, replicating the art of my people. It has the potential to free me, if I could only touch it. They have left it tantalizingly out of my reach for all this time.”
“How does it work?” asked Sparkillo.
“It’s something that only my people can truly understand. You would need years of study to even begin to grasp its most basic aspects. As I see it, we don’t have that kind of time right now.”
“Maybe we could help you reach it,” suggested Sparkillo helpfully, and naively.
“I think not,” I said in a firm voice. Sometimes the elf says things without really thinking through the consequences.
“Before you leave me here for the next few thousand years,” asked the Aboleth, “could you not get rid of this glyph at least? It’s really taunting me.”
I gave him a cold smile and replied in a voice that was filled with fake concern. “But it provides you with hope, my dear! The hope that perhaps one day, some poor fools will wander here and you’ll trick them into touching it for you. Cling to that hope, N’Gloth Noru, if that is indeed your real name.”
“It is.”
“Well, in that case, I wish you a very pleasant… eternity.”
As we left the temple, we heard the Aboleth sigh heavily behind us.
Disaster averted
It was about thirty minutes later that we ran into the group of troglodytes and Koprus. They had most likely seen our lights approaching in the distance, and had hidden themselves in a small cave on the side of the main tunnel. Nevertheless, we spotted them just before they sprang their ambush, and Sparkillo was the fastest of us all. He blasted our foes with a destructive Cone of Cold before they could move against us, and most of them died in the very first instants of the combat.
Only two troglodytes, one regular Kopru and a behemoth remained. As Lagaan killed the Kopru with a well-aimed arrow, Raguhl roared with fury and rushed over the frozen corpses of our enemies to engage the behemoth. Meanwhile, Ulfgar went around a stone pillar to take care of the two troglodytes.
As he felt the stab of Raguhl’s holy sword, the behemoth bellowed in a broken common: “Interlopers, you shall feel the wrath of the Abyss for crossing Demogorgon!”
Lagaan and Ulfgar writhed in pain as their curse was once again activated, but of more pressing concern was the fact that the monster fetched from his pack one of the dreaded Shadow Pearls. Before Raguhl could prevent him, he squeezed the pearl in his huge fist, and it cracked open slightly, fizzling with sickly green smoke. The thing was about to burst open and doom us all!
I knew I had only moments to act before it was too late. “Don’t kill it! Raguhl! Don’t kill it! I’m going to send it to another plane with that thing!” I shouted over the din of battle, as I rushed toward the massive enemy. It felt like I was in a nightmare, running in slow motion, weighed down by my bulky armor, my eyes fixated on the shattered pearl that might bring our death. As I approached, the fiend tried to smash me with its tail, but I blocked the impact with my magical shield.
By Umberlee’s grace, Raguhl heeded my warning despite his blood frenzy, and he managed to subdue the behemoth without killing it. The brute toppled over, and the sphere fell from its suddenly limp hand. Carefully, but quickly, I placed it back within its grasp using the tip of my boot, and I uttered the words of a Plane Shift prayer. Under my touch, the hulking body of the Kopru suddenly vanished from sight.
By then, the others had slain the remaining troglodytes.
“What happened?” asked Lagaan. “Where did it go?”
“A plane shift spell,” said Sparkie, guessing correctly. “That was a most astute stratagem, my dear Belessa. Especially since the Hold Monster spell I had just attempted failed to stop this fiend!”
“Where… did you… send it…?” asked Raguhl, who was struggling to regain control of his senses and exit his state of rage.
“Somewhere safe,” I replied enigmatically.
“Oh, come on!” said Lagaan. “Where did you send it? Tell us!”
I smiled smugly at the young thief. “Let’s just say I sent it some place where nobody meaningful is going to get hurt; and where nobody dangerous will be able to put their hands on it.”
My companions hounded me for a few more minutes to try and learn where I’d sent the pearl, but I remained elusive. All they needed to know was that it was gone, and we were safe.
The truth is that I sent it to the peaceful plane known as Green Fields, the realm of the Halfling deities. It is a place of lush plains, verdant forests and calm meadows where rabbits, songbirds and butterflies can live their lives happily.
How such a place has survived for so long without being invaded by the legions of Hell or the ravening hordes of the Abyss, I have no idea. But I knew that of all the planes, it was the safest to send this exploding sphere of chaos without fear of divine retribution. Who’s ever heard of a vengeful halfling god? And the chaos effect will only mutate a few bunnies and birds. Who cares? Of all the places in the multiverse, it was surely the safest destination for the impending doom that had threatened us.
Of course, Tyria would surely be quite upset if she ever were to learn that I doomed the homeland of her race’s gods. And so would Lagaan and Liamae… since the Green Fields have a direct connection to Tymora’s domain.
Ah well, you can’t please everybody.
Like a fish out of water
Now that our most pressing objective had been dealt with, we discussed what to do next. The recent discussion with the Aboleth had reminded us of the vulnerability of Tlaloc’s Tear: if someone like Rakis-Ka were to break it, the Aboleths would return to life. And we had told Rakis-Ka about the “ghost” N’Gloth Noru, so it was quite likely that he would seek him out, discover that he was in truth an Aboleth, and then, there was a risk that he would strike a deal with the fiend in order to gain knowledge… and restore his race to life.
We could not take that chance. But did it mean we had to kill Rakis-Ka? He had been mostly decent to us so far, and had revealed some useful information. Even Sparkillo was loath to attack him, even though the Devourer had tried to get Lagaan to betray the mage. We decided instead to remove the source of Rakis-Ka’s potential temptation: N’Gloth Noru himself. We did not feel as attached emotionally to the Aboleth, since it had tried to trick us in the past.
For that reason, we retraced our steps back toward the Olman temple, and as we approached its blue radiance, Sparkillo cast two Lower Water spells into the room, thereby removing all of its moisture and trapping the unfortunate N’Gloth Noru in deadly air. Before we approached the room, I cast Air Walk spells on the two warriors, in case they needed to attack our foe in melee, but we decided to try killing it at a distance first, since he was likely surrounded by a mucus that could cause us to grow gills and be unable to breathe air.
Much to our surprise, though, when we entered the room, we saw that its lower portion was empty! The Aboleth was gone! The top and the bottom sections of the rooms both formed ziggurats. Lagaan shot an arrow at the bottom of the lower half, and to our surprise, it passed through the floor.
“It must be an illusion,” suggested Sparkillo. “It isn’t real.”
“Concentrate on it and see if you can see past it,” I suggested to the others. “Convince your own eyes that the floor is not there.”
Indeed, after concentrating for a few moments, I was able to see past the illusion. On the lower level of the ziggurat, a truly miserable-looking N’Gloth Noru was quivering in fear, and suffocating slowly. My companions, with the exception of the rigid-minded dwarf, were all able to see past this trickery as well. Lagaan and Raguhl fired many arrows at our enemy, who erected more and more illusory barriers to protect himself after failing to hypnotize us with dazzling lights.
The two archers kept concentrating, and were able to see past all of the Aboleth’s illusions. While Ulfgar growled impotently, Sparkillo blasted the aquatic monstrosity with Lightning Bolt spells, being too lazy to try and disbelieve the illusions.
“I don’t believe in disbelieving,” he simply stated.
I tried to join in the fun, but I didn’t want to waste any of my powerful spells on what appeared to be a doomed foe. I knew we still had to face the parasite at the heart of Holashner’s Ziggurat later on. So I took out my almost-never-used-yet crossbow to see if I could match the archers’ attacks. Alas, it seems that I’ve badly neglected my ballistic skills as my magical ability has grown stronger and stronger. My first bolt missed its (broad-side-of-a-barn-sized) mark, and while trying to activate the mechanism to shoot my second one, a lock of my long raven hair somehow got entangled into it!
That’s typical Belessa for you. One minute I save the entire group with some heroic spell-casting, the next one I make a fool of myself with my clumsiness!
Imagine my shame when, after the vile N’Gloth Noru finally expired from one of Sparkillo’s Lightning Bolts, I had to ask for my companions’ help to free myself from the device. Thankfully, they were still suitably impressed with my recent outstanding display of power, so Lagaan and Sparkie helped me without any teasing… Lagaan cut off that lock of my hair and said he would keep it. I was surprised that he was so interested in it.
Sparkie was also most gallant. I noticed that his hands and his eyes lingered on me longer than usual. Was something wrong with him? Had Chochanika been neglecting him lately? I was not sure… but he somehow seemed more sensual than his regular self.
Later, we examined the room but found no hidden treasure. Sparkie cast an Analyze Dweomer spell on the ceiling’s blue rune and learned that it was indeed based on ancient Aboleth magic. It was based on a “glyph of extension”, which is normally used to increase the power of mind control, but was corrupted by the Koprus into a “glyph of suppression” which blocked mind control. That’s why we defeated the Aboleth so easily, why it tried to trick us into interfering with the rune, and why it didn’t harm the troglodytes and Koprus trading in this room. It couldn’t use its most deadly powers while the rune was intact! They kept him alive and impotent just to tease him. How delightfully cruel!
Brain damage
Our next stop was Holashner’s Ziggurat, and Sparkie teleported us back to the shrine where we had fought the priest of Demogorgon. The room was much as we left it, except that the floor and ceiling’s trap doors were both open, and the body of the priest was gone. Raguhl briefly examined the room and told us that the corpse had been dragged upstairs. We quickly checked the room below, and didn’t see any sign of the parasite. We closed the trap door just in case, and then, Raguhl, Ulfgar and I went up by magical flight. Lagaan and Sparkillo were to wait for us in the shrine.
We noticed that the “mouth” of the pyramid was open, and when we reach the structure’s summit, we came in contact with a Kopru that sounded the alarm. While the two warriors rushed him, I noticed something moving behind us. Something big.
Like a giant brain on legs…
It was the brain collector we’d fought near Tlaloc’s Tear! It was now near the top of the pyramid and seemed to be allied with the Kopru. It cast a Dispel Magic on the warriors and me. I felt the warmth of the Heroes’ Feast leave me, but thankfully, none of our magical flight effects were cancelled.
“The brain is here! Look out!” I shouted to the two warriors.
A few moments of confusion, so typical of Trouble, ensued. It wasn’t clear whether we were supposed to fight here without the other two, or retreat to a more defensible position downstairs. I started to retreat, but seeing that the two fighters remained there to fight, I decided to stay with them for support. Lagaan joined us soon enough.
The brain collector approached me hungrily. If you believe Rakis-Ka, that arrogant know-it-all, I might not have presented as appetizing a meal as Sparkillo’s brain, but the aberration’s intent was still unmistakable: it wanted revenge for the defeat it had suffered in the crater.
It never got the chance.
I spoke the words of my most powerful prayer of Destruction, and the brain collector was hit with the full force of the spell. It howled in agony as it folded against itself, and then it was engulfed in a black void… and then nothing of it remained.
For the second time, I stood on top of Holashner’s Ziggurat, and my laughter echoed all around. The two warriors easily dispatched the Kopru. Two troglodytes had been carrying a palanquin up the steps toward us, but when they saw that we killed the brain so easily, they hurried back down the stairs: their master was clearly trying to escape with his life. I kept laughing as Ulfgar and Lagaan casually shot the two bearers, and the palanquin comically bounced down the stairs to the bottom of the pyramid. How pitiful.
Once our enemies were all dead or routed, Sparkillo emerged from the bowels of the pyramid, somewhat upset that we’d fought them without him. Meanwhile, Raguhl examined the outside of the pyramid to try and determine where the Koprus had taken the corpse of their leader, but his efforts remained inconclusive.
Rakis-Ka seems to have a habit of showing up at precisely the right time to avoid having to do any actual fighting, and this time was no exception. Once again, he praised our might and courage. He had managed to infiltrate the pyramid and to avoid the remaining guardians, but he wasn’t sure either where the body of the priest had been taken. He had been surprised to see the brain collector join forces with the Kopru: clearly, we had represented such a dire menace to both sides that they had seen this alliance as a necessary evil.
The Devourer questioned us about our progress, and Lagaan smugly informed him that we had killed another Aboleth. Rakis-Ka tried to convince us to use the decanter of endless water to free some other Aboleths, but Raguhl was strongly opposed to the idea. For once, I found myself agreeing with the lizardman: I did not trust any knowledge that could come from these devious, overgrown fish. Nor did I trust Rakis-Ka’s true motives…
As usual, Rakis-Ka was aloof and behaved as though only Sparkillo was remotely in his intellectual league. Arrogant bastard… But this time, even our wizard warned him that dealing with the Aboleth might be risky business. Then, Raguhl thanked the Devourer for warning us about the group of troglodytes who’d tried to bring some Shadow Pearls toward the surface. When Rakis-Ka asked me what we had done with the pearls, I gave him the same vague answer I had given my companions, which, much to my satisfaction, seemed to intrigue him somewhat.
Eventually, we decided it was time to face the terrible parasite of the pyramid. Sparkillo invited Rakis-Ka to join us, but as could be expected, the undead had no desire to actually put itself in harm’s way, and politely declined the offer.
The parasite
Before heading into the lowest level of the pyramid, where we knew the parasite lurked, I protected the entire group against both fire and acid, and Sparkillo cast a Haste spell upon us all. Then, we opened the trap door, and the two warriors were the first two to head down, still treading on the air as if it were solid. We watched them look around the room for a few moments, as the monster was nowhere to be seen, but soon enough, it emerged from the black pool closest to the trap door, and attacked them. While Ulfgar and Raguhl engaged our foe in combat, Lagaan climbed down with his magical slippers and positioned himself to attack the creature from the ceiling, and from the rear. Meanwhile, I levitated down the opening and prepared to cast a Slay Living spell. The monster writhed and swirled its hideous body around, so it was hard to make contact, and when I did, it resisted the power of the spell somewhat: it was wounded, but survived. Its tail whipped toward me in retaliation, but I was able to block it with my shield.
Sparkillo’s spells did not seem to have much effect against this creature, but our warriors were causing serious damage to it with their weapons. Thankfully, although this was a terrible monster, they survived its attacks easily, especially thanks to the magical protections I had bestowed upon them. The being was coated in black acid, and to fight it was an invitation to be melted. What’s more, we noticed that the creature was regenerating quickly. The lower half of its body was still within the black pool, and we surmised that it was contact with the foul substance that gave it this special power.
Lagaan was struck by the creature’s tail, but he finally positioned himself in a perfect place to give a lethal blow, and pierced the monster’s vitals with his rapier. Our enemy shrieked and thrashed about in agony, but finally, it fell to the ground, only twitching feebly. The parasite of Holashner’s Ziggurat would not gnaw upon the entrails of the earth any more.
We examined the room and found a total of eight pearls in various stages of evolution. We fished them out carefully out of the acidic black bile. After searching the room for treasure and finding none, we retreated upstairs with the pearls, and Sparkillo fired some Scorching Rays at the pools downstairs, starting a huge fire. As a horrible, toxic stench started filling up the pyramid, we hurried outside, and climbed back down the stairs to watch the thing burn. We had considered shutting the “mouth” of the pyramid, but eventually decided against it: something about fire needing air to burn.
“We’ve succeeded, my friends,” said Raguhl. “We’ve killed the parasite; we’ve stopped the production of Shadow Pearls. The island is now safe from these Lords of Dread.”
We nodded in appreciation as we watched the fire.
“What do we do with the pearls, though?” asked Sparkillo.
We all looked at each other. We had no idea. We hadn’t come to a decision yet. We now had to somehow get rid of these eight last Shadow Pearls.
“Can you dump them into another plane, Belessa?” asked Lagaan.
“Hmm, I suppose so, but I wouldn’t want them to fall into the wrong hands.”
“Can you send them to the place where you sent the other ones?”
“I’m afraid that place is now terribly contaminated by chaos.”
We decided to return home. Since Sparkillo had spent most of his magic that day already, I used a Word of Recall to bring us back to Farshore’s chapel.
The barren wastes of Nishrek
Bereleth was intrigued to see us all appear in the middle of the chapel, our garments stained with soot. He was the first of Farshore’s inhabitants to learn of our victory, and his eyes lit up with greed when we showed him the deadly Shadow Pearls we had recovered.
My companions and I discussed how best to handle these remaining pearls, but as usual, we couldn’t agree on any remotely intelligent strategy. We are, after all, called Trouble, and we sure live up to our name. Eventually, we decided to go to Nishrek, the world of the Orc gods, and to summon a monster there to destroy the pearls just before we left.
The men gathered around me and we held hands as I spoke the words of a Plane Shift spell, concentrating on what I knew of Nishrek. An instant later, we stood in a barren plain, which was decorated with severed heads on rusty spikes, and where foul vermin skittered. Above us, the sky was a chaotic mayhem in many shades of purple, and over distant mountains, we spotted the shapes of huge monstrous beings flying with great wings.
I delicately placed the Shadow Pearls on the ground and prepared myself for a summoning spell.
Then I stopped to think for a moment.
“What’s wrong, Belessa?” asked Lagaan.
“Please, summon something to destroy these things and let’s get out of here,” urged Raguhl. “Before those monsters catch sight of us.”
“It’s just so irresponsible…” I muttered.
“Pardon?” asked Sparkillo.
“It’s so irresponsible. What we’re doing. Sending these things to explode in random planes. Leaving behind these hugely powerful artifacts. Who knows what repercussions it could have?”
“Well, you did it before…” said Raguhl.
“Yes, but now… I’m having second thoughts. We can’t do it like this without knowing what’s going to come of it.”
“What, we bring them back to Farshore?” asked the lizardman with a look of incredulity somehow visible in his reptilian features.
“I must ask for the divine advice of Umberlee…” I stated.
A few of the others sighed in frustration, but they agreed to wait as I performed my ritual. The two warriors stood protectively close to us, watching the flying creatures in the distance with a wary eye.
“I wonder if she’ll have time to finish her spell before those things come to investigate us,” stated Raguhl in a low voice.
“I hope not,” replied Lagaan, gripping his bow eagerly. “They’re evil outsiders!”
Eventually, I established a contact and asked Umberlee how we should dispose of the pearls. Her response was immediate and direct: “Bring your spoils to me and you shall be rewarded. DO NOT BRING INFIDELS!”
For a moment, I reeled in awe at the divine connection. My goddess had invited me to visit her in person! But her warning… I suspected that she would consider all of my companions as infidels, especially Ulfgar, whom she had personally cursed. For a moment, I considered bringing the uncouth dwarf with me, so he may be utterly destroyed by my mistress for his sacrilege; but then, I controlled my hatred: I still needed him around. And, perhaps, at some level, I felt pity for his soul. When he died, I did not want him to endure an eternity of agony in Umberlee’s court. I only wished that on my enemies, and Ulfgar, despite his defiant rudeness, had been a valuable ally through our adventures together. No, he deserved a gentler death.
I had barely started to explain my vision to the rest of the group when a huge demon suddenly materialized close to us. It was a disgusting monstrosity, which had a humanoid body graced with the worst features of a boar and an ape combined.
“What are you doing in the realm of Gruumsh?” it roared in the orcish language.
I started to reply diplomatically in that same language, but suddenly, the demon’s gaze fixed on Sparkillo, and he growled a curse against “yellow-haired fey scum”: elves and their god Corellon Larethian are the mortal enemies of orcs who serve Gruumsh.
Thankfully, though, before the demon could reach us, I brought us all back on the prime material plane. We appeared in a forest that was most likely somewhere in Tethys, and then, I used another Word of Recall to bring us back to Farshore. So much magic expended to come back to our starting place! That was thoroughly inefficient of us…
“Mistress, you still have the pearls,” said Bereleth. “What went wrong?”
“There was a change of plans…” I explained.
“So what do we do with the pearls, now?” asked Raguhl.
“Umberlee, in her great wisdom, has shown me how to get rid of these pearls.”
“Oh yeah, how?” asked Lagaan.
“I must go to a different location in a far-away world,” I said. “And I must make this journey… alone.”
“You’re going to bring the pearls to Umberlee, aren’t you?” said Raguhl, in a rare display of intuition.
“Yes,” I conceded. “But as a nature goddess, Umberlee has no wish to use the pearls themselves. She will ensure that they remain forever beyond the reach of the pawns of Demogorgon.”
I grinned as Ulfgar and Lagaan were wracked with pain as I mentioned the Prince of Demons’ name.
“I’m not sure I trust Umberlee with these things,” said Raguhl in a low growl. “We took them from the Koprus of Dem… Of that Demon-Lord, and now we’re giving them back to another evil deity! That’s just as bad!”
I glared at the reptile for a few moments, and then said in a deceptively sweet voice: “And do you have a better suggestion, my dear Raguhl?”
“You could bring them to one of the good worlds,” he replied.
I laughed at his ludicrous proposal. “Ah yes, of course, how silly of me not have thought about it! I’m sure the denizens of those worlds would be thrilled to see a mortal woman bringing such destructive items into their worlds! Not to mention the delightful reception they would no doubt have in store for a ‘wicked’ priestess of Umberlee such as me. Forget it! I’m bringing the pearls to Fury’s Heart, and that’s the end of it!”
My companions were somewhat suspicious, but in the end, since I was the only one who was able to journey between the planes of existence, they had no choice but to trust me with the disposal of the pearls, lest they remain on the material plane.
Mirtul 14th, 1376
Into Umberlee’s embrace
I will never forget Mirtul 14th, 1376, because it is on that day that met my goddess in person.
Early in the morning, I used my magic to travel to her realm in Fury’s Heart. I appeared in the deep sea, yet I could breathe easily. I was soon greeted by powerful aquatic demons that serve Umberlee. They brought me to her underwater palace, where all manners of sea creatures live and pay her homage. As I entered, I glanced at the rusty cages where the unworthy souls of those who have failed our mistress drowned for all eternity…
And then I was brought before HER…
I cannot do justice to the glory of the moment, to the magnificence of her overwhelming presence, with mere words in a journal. It is something beyond that cannot be explained in language, something that shook me to the core and changed the very foundation of my being.
I only vaguely remember standing before my mistress, as her power washed over me, embraced me, and made me into something more than I had been until then. I became lost in a haze from which I can now only remember bits and pieces of divine enlightenment in my consciousness; but deeper within my soul lies a link to Umberlee, which is stronger than ever before.
I floated out of time and space within Umberlee’s embrace. She took the Shadow Pearls that I had brought to her, and I sensed that she was pleased with me… her faithful daughter…
Mirtul 21st, 1376
The Hierophant
I’m not sure how, but after some time, I found myself emerging from the sea next to a beach harried by a storm. I was carried by a huge wave which gently dropped me next to the piers where a few fishermen were struggling to secure some of their boats. Their jaws dropped in amazement at seeing me, magnificent in my shark-armor. Did they sense the divine power coursing through my body? It was more powerful than ever.
The winds and waves of the storm had carried me back to Farshore.
I approached the men, and one of them shouted over the howl of the storm: “Mother Belessa, thank goodness you’ve returned! Lord Meravanchi and your companions were worried sick about you!”
It seemed like so long ago since I had seen them… my so-called friends… Sparkillo, Ulfgar, Raguhl, Lagaan… and my mortal lover Manthalay…
I glared at the fisherman in silence, and he awkwardly added: “It’s been over a week since you’ve been gone, Mother. Are you all right?”
“Yes. I am… all right. You, go fetch my acolytes, and tell them to meet me at the bridge leading to the temple under construction.”
The man hurried away, leaving the others to secure the boats. I started making my way toward the stone bridge Sparkillo had built. There was much to do. Umberlee had told me to ensure that the rest of Demogorgon’s cult on the island was wiped out. We would need to travel to the central plateau and destroy the fiends who lived there, in an unholy shrine to the demon-lord. My mistress had also hinted that she would look kindly upon the death of Father Innersol, that old fool.
Not long after, Cato and Bereleth joined me near the bridge, where I stood proudly, watching the dark horizon, with the furious wind and rain raging around me.
“High Priestess, we’re relieved that you’re back,” said Cato. “Is everything all right?”
I turned around to face them. “I have traveled beyond the boundaries of this world,” I said, “into the holy realm of Umberlee. I have stood before her, and felt her divine embrace. She has named me her daughter, and charged me with dispensing her great wisdom to her mortal followers. Now kneel, my acolytes. Kneel before Belessa Darkwave, Hierophant of Umberlee!”
After the faintest hesitation, both men fell to their knees before me. Bereleth’s eyes seem to shed tears mixed with the rain.
For a short moment, I wished Moretta had been there to witness my ascension. But I pushed the thought out of my mind, and begin sharing my experience with my two faithful disciples.
Hey Moonbeam! I've been reading Belessa's journal with great interest. My gaming group is playing through Savage Tide using the Pathfinder Beta rules. You've given me some good ideas to increase their misery (I mean enjoyment!). Keep up the good work - I imagine it takes a great deal of effort to write up...
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Hey Moonbeam! I've been reading Belessa's journal with great interest. My gaming group is playing through Savage Tide using the Pathfinder Beta rules. You've given me some good ideas to increase their misery (I mean enjoyment!). Keep up the good work - I imagine it takes a great deal of effort to write up...
Hi, yes, it's a lot of work, but boy is it worth it when I get some nice comment like this one indicating that it's appreciated! Where are you at in your campaign at the moment?
We were supposed to play this weekend, but alas, the game got canceled. :(
Thanks for the update, it seemed like it's been a long time between updates! Your journal has helped me a lot in planning for my PCs, who are halfway to Fort BlackWell. I had replaced the dead Rowyn with a doppleganger assassin/bounty hunter as one of my pc's is a wanted man(dwarf). It worked out perfectly. I'm also using pathfinder beta rules for some things )like turning undead, and though our cleric PC promised to stay out of the limelight and just heal, he's starting to rule the day.
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Thanks for the update, it seemed like it's been a long time between updates! Your journal has helped me a lot in planning for my PCs, who are halfway to Fort BlackWell. I had replaced the dead Rowyn with a doppleganger assassin/bounty hunter as one of my pc's is a wanted man(dwarf). It worked out perfectly.
Nice! How did it go? Were the PC's spooked? Did they manage to kill the assassin without any of them getting killed?
I'm also using pathfinder beta rules for some things )like turning undead, and though our cleric PC promised to stay out of the limelight and just heal, he's starting to rule the day.
Ah, nice. Yes, Pathfinder clerics have a lot more potential for healing with the channel energy. We're still using the regular 3.5 rules. Although, in Belessa's case, she would be channeling negative energy I guess, so it wouldn't make such a big difference. I doubt she would use it very often. ;)
Nice! How did it go? Were the PC's spooked? Did they manage to kill the assassin without any of them getting killed?
It went fairly well, with the doppleganger playing Liamae (I'm playing her exactly like you've described, a bit of a drunk and very forward. But in this case she's into dwarves). She retired to a private room alone with him (dwarven warblade 5), danced (hiding the castings) and failed on TWO 'Hold Persons' in a row. The doppleganger was blocked in the room, and attempted to grapple and mimic the dwarf to get the others in the doorway to attack the real deal. To no avail, as he could answer questions the doppleganger couldn't. The doppleganger (who I played statted up exactly like Rowyn in the SWW) got some good shots in but even after telling the other PCs to turn the dwarf in for bounty, it was no avail. Dead doppleganger. I tried as hard as I could and used every strategy I could think of!
Ah, nice. Yes, Pathfinder clerics have a lot more potential for healing with the channel energy. We're still using the regular 3.5 rules. Although, in Belessa's case, she would be channeling negative energy I guess, so it wouldn't make such a big difference. I doubt she would use it very often. ;)
You could always take a feat to allow one to do both positive and negative energy. Still the negative energy burst is just too powerful, as it is a great nuke for low level enemies, like pirates. The cleric essentially solo'ed a whole pirate ship encounter by swimming to the pirate ship on an animated dead crocodile and doing a bunch of negative energy bursts.
I am trying to take quite a bit from your journal to my game, especially the handling of the initial landing on the IoD.
BTW, I have the gargoyle kidnapping well set up, as Three of my pcs are in relations with NPCs; Lavinia, Liamae, and Brissa. I'll probably have the Blue Nixie wreck and have 2 of the three (sparing Lavinia) kidnapped, sending the PCs on a rescue mission and meeting up with the Aranea on the pyramid (which one of my PCs has seen in a vision) and leading to the aeyries of the gargoyles.
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Good stuff! So your PC's saved Brissa as well, very nice!
We were supposed to play last weekend, but unfortunately, our DM was ill, so the game was canceled. I don't know when they next one will be. :( :( :(
But the next update should be a big one, since there will be a lot of in-between-adventures role-playing taking place. I've already discussed a large chunk of it with the DM. Maybe I'll post part of it ahead of time so the gap between the games doesn't feel quite as long.
Moonbeam- I found your write up on RotRL about 2 weeks ago, and from there this one. I couldn't stop reading, the stories were very engaging.
I am currently halfway through running the RL AP, and I think it is definitely going to help out with planning the encounters after reading how they have actually played out before.
I hope you keep up the great work, as I know I'll be checking in to see how Mother Belessa develops from here.
Oh my ! I don’t know how I managed it, but I had never read your campaign journal before now. I guess I was too focused on “Age of Worms” related threads (for the needs of my own campaign). I do remember that you mentioned it on Guy’s thread, but never followed up. My bad… So much to read, so little time!
I have (almost) finished the 181-page, small font, double column word document I made from it, and can say I enjoy the read. A lot.
Chthulhudarren compared your work to Jollydoc’s, but it seems to me that they are two very different things. You are heavily into character impersonation and interactions, whereas JD writing style is third person, and much more action oriented. Two different things, from two different points of view.
In terms of interest, Evil Belessa easily matches Crazy Lidu, but I would say that your DM did a slightly better job of tailoring the campaign to your characters goals, idiosyncrasies, abilities and worldviews (the tweaking of the Sea Wyvern floundering comes to mind, or the whole Chaos sidetrek for exemple).
Keep up the good work ! I will follow up on your RotR ASAP.
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Salut Smarnil!
Great, I'm happy you had the time to ready my stories and are enjoying them! Is it so big in word format? Wow! I didn't realize it, because I keep a different word document for every game.
Yes, I think my DM is doing a great job. I think he has some cool stuff in store for us now even before we start the next adventure. Something with Manthalay, I think. I guess I will find out soon!
Now it looks like we might play on august 9th and august 16th, 2 games in 2 weeks! If it really happens, that means there will be some big updates soon. :)
PS: Where does your avatar's nickname come from?
Salut Smarnil!
Great, I'm happy you had the time to ready my stories and are enjoying them! Is it so big in word format? Wow! I didn't realize it, because I keep a different word document for every game.
Believe me. It's huge!
Yes, I think my DM is doing a great job. I think he has some cool stuff in store for us now even before we start the next adventure. Something with Manthalay, I think. I guess I will find out soon!
Now it looks like we might play on august 9th and august 16th, 2 games in 2 weeks! If it really happens, that means there will be some big updates soon. :)
Lucky you! With our RL schedules, we only get to play once every month, and that when all goes well. No game until september, I have already shakinfhs hanfsq (oops) and other withdrawal symptoms.
PS: Where does your avatar's nickname come from?
Well, Smarnil was one of my very first characters, twenty years ago, an halfling thief with very developed survival instincts, if you get my meaning, hence the nickname (note to non french speaking readers: le couard = the coward ).
Bye!
Mirtul 22nd, 1376
I soon discovered that in fact, Sparkie, Ulfgar and Lagaan had gone back to Sasserine to enjoy themselves during my absence. Yes, clearly, they were sick with worry regarding my fate… They took little Lavinia with them, I assume she has some business to conduct in the city as well.
Raguhl is still in Farshore for now. But I have not spent much time with him… Nor with any other mortal, for that matter… My mind is still reeling from the contact with Umberlee… Their petty concerns are of little importance to me.
My memories of the past few days are shrouded as though by a mental fog. I am struggling to recall the bliss of being in Umberlee’s presence, but I feel like am clutching at elusive mist. Perhaps her greatness is too overwhelming for my consciousness to encompass. Such incredible power… Such terrible rage… Such unrivaled beauty… She is truly the most wonderful being in the multiverse.
I must meditate and absorb a portion of her greatness within me…
Mirtul 26th, 1376
Today was Brissa’s birthday. We spent a quiet evening together at the House of Trouble, which is almost empty now that the others have returned to Sasserine. Raguhl was at Lavinia’s that evening, so he did not bother us.
I wish Amella and Moretta had been with us. My treacherous acolyte has still not returned to Farshore, and Amella’s a renowned captain now, and is frequently traveling between Farshore and Sasserine nowadays, transporting goods and colonists between the two cities.
Nevertheless, it felt good to be alone with Brissa. She is such a delightful person. I shared with her the glorious experience of the contact with Umberlee. Being a devout follower herself, she listened with rapt attention. Yet, I felt somewhat detached… still high on the feeling of power that Umberlee has transmitted to me.
Mirtul 29th, 1376
For the past seven days, I’ve meditated on the beach, or in the chapel; as if I were desperately trying to reconnect with Umberlee. As if I couldn’t bear to be separated from her, cast back into the material world, away from her greatness. In the beginning, I wished only to be one with her again…
Now, slowly, I am starting to regain a sense of my own self. I vaguely noticed the concerns of those who call themselves my friends over the past few days: Brissa, Manthalay, and even Raguhl. They could easily tell I was not wholly myself.
This afternoon, I emerged from deep meditation with the sense of a nearby presence. I opened my eyes, and beheld before me the imposing, scaly form of Raguhl, crouched upon the sand of the beach, regarding me with his mysterious amber-colored eyes.
“You’ve changed a lot since you came back from the other world,” he stated in his deep voice. “You spend so much time alone now. Are you all right?”
“Yes, Raguhl, I’m all right. I’m better than all right. I’ve been in the presence of Umberlee. I’ve been gifted with her love in a way few mortals have ever been able to claim.”
The lizardman nodded slowly. “Did she reward you, then, for bringing her the Shadow Pearls?”
“I did not ask for a reward,” I replied. “I merely sought to protect our world from their deadly influence. And I knew of no entity more wise or powerful than Umberlee, so I offered them to her, as she knows how to best deal with them.”
“I will not waste my time telling you that I am worried about what the Queen of the Deep could do with these stones,” said the barbarian. “You have claimed that Umberlee opposes Demogorgon, and in this case, I have to hope that the enemy of my enemy can indeed be considered my friend. May our world never suffer from the chaotic influence of these pearls again.”
We watched each other in silence for a few moments.
“However,” he said after a while, “our island is still far from being a safe place. Terrible evil roams in the darkness of the jungle. And the foul Skinwalkers rule the Central Plateau. I would like to return to my village, to be with my people once again. Yet I know they will not know peace yet. We must gather Trouble once again, and strike at the heart of this evil! I have not forgotten the oath I swore to the winged serpent Tonatiuh: I will eliminate the threat of the Skinwalkers who destroyed the Rakastas!”
Raguhl then explained that Jakara had revealed to him the secrets of his cult of demon-hunters. In a sacred ritual, the lizardman had received a magical tattoo in the shape of a dinosaur called a deinonychus. This marked him as a Totemic Demon Hunter. He was now dedicated to the extermination of demons.
I told him that Umberlee was also strongly opposed to Demogorgon, the ally of Dagon, and the foe of Umberlee’s ally Malar. Umberlee is a deity of righteous fury and natural power: she resents the terrible corruption that Demogorgon is trying to spread over this world. I also told Raguhl that Umberlee had given me the quest to destroy the demons of the Isle of Dread. I was to be her instrument in her endeavor. She had even forbidden me to leave the island until the deed was done. I could not return to Sasserine like the others.
As I spoke these words, I realized that I also resented this divine mission. I was little more than a prisoner of Umberlee’s will. I was not free. I had never truly been free. I surely had not been free when I had grown up, poor and neglected, mistreated by the terrible people of the slums I lived in. My only escape from them had been to join the cult of Umberlee under Stalman Klim’s guidance: but there too, my freedom had been conditional to Umberlee’s approval. When I had failed her, she had mercilessly punished me by stripping me of my powers.
Is this some grand cosmic joke?
Belessa, the puppet… To be controlled until she’s outlived her usefulness?
Waiting in Farshore for the rest of Trouble to deign to return to continue the mission… Following them like a lapdog, tending to their every need, from sustenance, to magical healing and even resurrection?
I have so much power at my disposal… Yet I am a prisoner in a cage constructed by my goddess.
My companions are free. Raguhl, Sparkillo, Ulfgar, and even that sneaky rat Lagaan. Their powers are their own. Through sheer strength, martial training, superhuman agility or mastery over mighty arcane secrets, they have risen to the rank of heroes. By their own means. I bitterly look at my own life in comparison: I am a competent warrior, but my skill at arms pales in comparison to our warriors’. My power comes at the whim of Umberlee. If I stray but a little bit from the path… She will quickly return me to the rank of mere mortal. I would be no better than Brissa, or Lavinia.
I shared a bit of those bitter concerns with Raguhl, and I think he started to understand a little bit the context within which I operate. Perhaps he now understands why I acted as I did in the past on some occasions…
Kythorn 1st, 1376
I’ve finally regained my senses, and have overcome the feeling of loss that came with being separated from Umberlee. It’s now time for action! Sparkillo returned to Farshore today, bringing back Lavinia as well. However, he will return to Sasserine tomorrow. He told me that Ulfgar and Lagaan are spending most of their time at their brewery, taking care of business. The fools, wasting their time on such trivialities, while the menace of the demons still hangs strong over the entire island! I was reassured, though, to hear from the elf that Ulfgar still suffered from Umberlee’s curse, and could not consume a drop of alcohol.
I shall not spend my time as idly as them. Until their return, I will work to improve the defensive magic of my cloak. I will surely need to be well protected when we face the horrors that live on the Central Plateau.
Sparkillo was unable to answer any of my questions regarding the Shadow Pearls. It seems that the Witch Wardens, the wizards of Sasserine, are just a group of lazy buffoons who have learned nothing more in six months of studying the pearls in a laboratory, than we did while saving the island at the same time! Either their academy is the most worthless magical school on Faerun, or those bastards are actually trying to keep the secrets of the pearls for themselves, refusing to inform us of their powers. In which case, they would be terrible ingrates in the best case, and dangerous, world-threatening psychopaths in the worst! And to think that Sparkillo actually trusts these despicable warlocks!
It’s been ten days since my return to Farshore now, and I still have not gotten any news from Moretta. I had hoped that she would realize the error of her ways, but it seems I overestimated her wisdom. I can barely express in words how disappointed I am with the girl. To think I had trusted her with many of my secrets, with a position of honor and power in Farshore. I feel betrayed. I do not easily open my heart to others, for fear of betrayal, and once again my instincts have been proven right. People are rotten, selfish, cowardly and unpleasant. Even this deceptively sweet young girl turned away from me for no good reason, and without a care for my feelings. And after all the things I did for her!
With Amella gone as well, the only one I can truly call a friend now is Brissa. Dear Brissa… And to think we almost killed her in Kraken’s Cove. How thankful I am now that we were able to save her from the terrible effects of the Shadow Pearl. I find myself trusting her just as I had trusted Moretta before. I pray that she will not betray me as well. But I cannot help myself… I bear such a heavy burden that I need someone to confide in.
I tried to scry on Moretta today, but she eluded my magical sight… The little pest! Who does she think she is, to defy me like this!
Raguhl and I met with Liamae today. I hadn’t seen her in a while, and she’s changed. Not for the better… Her skin is almost brown from exposure to the sun, and she wears the primitive tribal clothes of the barbarians, surely in an attempt to fit in. Frankly, it’s pathetic.
She seemed quite cheerful. I can imagine: she hasn’t been in harm’s way in a very long time, since Trouble is taking care of everything dangerous on the island nowadays. We were both pleasant to each other, but I could feel her hatred boiling below her illusion of serenity. She was surely jealous of my recent successes.
We spoke about our latest adventurers, as well as her travels among the natives. It seems she is quite popular among them. I could easily see Lavinia’s influence behind this: she is always so eager to reach out to the natives. Clearly, Liamae obeys her entirely. I asked what the Jade Ravens had been up to, now that Zan had returned to Sasserine. She answered that they were on a hiatus. She reported that Kaskus was exploring the jungle of the island, and said that she did know what Tolin was up to. She looked at me with a straight face, but I sensed she was lying through her teeth. The b%%&~… She knew something was up… I felt like casting one of my spells of torment at her, and making her reveal her secret the hard way… But of course, Raguhl, that other spineless pawn of Lavinia, would never have allowed it.
Liamae admitted that she had reached an impasse in her attempt to convert the natives to Tymora. The goddess of luck was better suited for gamblers and adventurers, rather than the hunters and fishermen who populated the villages. What’s more, she had run into a strong opposition from the zombie masters. Clearly, her influence was much more political (backed by Lavinia) than religious.
I spent the evening with Raguhl. We’ve rarely spent much time together before, neither during our adventures, nor during out time at sea. I must admit that, despite his despicable allegiance to Lavinia, I find his presence soothing in some way. I can sense that, although he fears Umberlee, he respects my powers as a priestess, and does not speak in a condescending manner as the rest of our party often does. Over a few mugs of ale, we found ourselves chatting about our companions, sharing the things about them that drive us crazy! It turns out that Raguhl also resents Lagaan’s scathing remarks, which consistently belittle him by implying that he’s related to every reptile we encounter during our adventures. From this perspective, he told me he does not approve of how the rogue treats me, constantly teasing me and disrespecting me. He finds Ulfgar too unpredictable, as he is too motivated by his wrath than by a sense of justice. Also, they seemed too interested in trivialities like their brewery, rather than opposing the forces of evil. He recognizes the strength of my faith, and appreciates the intensity with which I devote myself to our missions.
I was surprised to see the big lizardman open up to me like this. By feigning interest for the concerns of his tribe, and speaking of my own hatred for the minions of Demogorgon, I feel I’ve been able to get much closer to him. Although he was very wary of me at one point, even going as far as to attack me, I think I’ve now lulled him into a state of complacency. He thinks of me as his friend! Surely I can use this to my advantage somehow…
I told him how I see things from my point of view: that most people treat me as if I were evil, and fiercely oppose me, despite the good deeds I consistently perform. How could I be expected to interact with them in a positive manner, when I am constantly being challenged on all sides? The lizardman nodded, stating that he felt it must be very difficult for me.
We then talked about the lizardman tribe from Raguhl’s village, which is called Krh-ku-krh, as well as the relations with the Olman tribes. I told Raguhl that Manthalay and I want what’s best for the tribes, which is, to educate them, and make them benefit from the wealth and culture of the main land. Unfortunately, our goals are often twisted by Lavinia, who paints my poor Manthalay as a greedy man only out for himself. Although he was on the defensive at first, I was able to confuse Raguhl and make him doubt Lavinia’s words, at least for now. I said that Lavinia merely wanted the status-quo; but that we wanted to make them better people!
Of course, this was an embellished version of the truth. Manthalay and I couldn’t care less about these dirty savages. They are but beasts of burden to us, and we’ll only share what part of the profits we absolutely have to in order to get what we need. But I felt that Raguhl wasn’t quite ready to embrace this pragmatic point of view just yet.
Our conversation turned to Moretta’s disappearance, and how I felt betrayed by her decision. Raguhl admitted to me that Tolin had gone to see Lavinia on the night before he left with Moretta. He couldn’t tell me why, but he had seen him. So the little b*#@* was in on it! I was furious to hear that, but of course, I kept these feelings hidden from Raguhl… I wanted to encourage him to keep talking…
Raguhl asked me to craft him a powerful belt of strength, and to improve the protective enchantment of his cloak, providing the others didn’t return from Sasserine immediately. I admit that, although we both feel a strong urge to venture up to the Central Plateau soon, with some time on my hands, I should be able to greatly improve our magical items. It will be expensive, though. I went through the list of materials in my mind. Very expensive… Almost all of our money would be spent into crafting these powerful objects.
Later still, Raguhl asked me to contact Jakara by magic. We learned that he had led the people of Barbas to the surface, just as he had promised. They had settled in caves on the surface near the valley where drugs could be harvested. There had been a few casualties due to the dinosaurs, but overall, Jakara had superbly succeeded in this difficult mission. Raguhl was relieved to hear that.
We then talked about Jakara’s allies, Father Innersol and his lackey, Catherly. Raguhl said that we would have to work together with them in order to defeat the demons of the island. He asked me if I would be able to do that. With a smile, I assured him I would. The true enemy is the one we saw in the mirror under the spider-city, after all.
I mostly said the truth. Catherly is a weakling, he insulted me and my goddess in the past, and I will kill him again if I get the chance. But strangely, I feel respect for Father Innersol. He has acted wisely in the past, and seems to respect me as well. I am impressed that he was able to elude the wicked demons of the island for so long. Umberlee has hinted that she would look kindly upon his death. But I hate and fear the demons of the Central Plateau so much… I consider Father Innersol to be one of my brothers in arms, just like my companions of Trouble. I sincerely do not think I could do him harm.
Kythorn 2nd, 1376
I succeeded in scrying Moretta today…
I saw the little fool on a sailboat with her lover, Tolin. With them were a dark-skinned sailor, no doubt a native, as well as the dwarf Kaskus. Following their vessel was a large dolphin that seemed to answer Kaskus’s orders. Did the druid make a new friend? Clearly, he was in on Tolin’s treachery, which meant that surely Liamae and that horrible, two-faced liar Lavinia were as well! Damn them all !!!! Betraying me like this after everything I’ve done for them!
It seemed like suicide. The sailboat was much too small… Only a group of fools would dare sail on such a flimsy boat toward Sasserine. Of course, they were on the open sea, so I had no idea of their exact location. I couldn’t reach them via Wind Walk, otherwise, I would’ve caught up with them and would have unleashed a terrible storm upon them as a token of my wrath!
Damn you, Moretta! Damn you! Why did you betray me like this? Why did you turn your back on me? How can you be so stupid? You never gave me a chance to explain myself! I trusted you! I believed in you!
I felt like using my magic to contact her… to scream at her… to make her feel the anger she had created in me. But I knew it wouldn’t matter. It was too late now, she wouldn’t listen to me, she wouldn’t turn back.
I won’t give her the satisfaction of knowing how deeply she has hurt me.
I will keep suffering in silence and keep her guessing: perhaps she’ll think she’s so far beneath me that I don’t care. Because that’s how it should be! Who is she? She’s nobody! Everything she has is because of ME! I’m the Hierophant of Umberlee, and she is nothing!!!!
Yes. I will remain silent… It’s the only punishment I can inflict upon her at this point.
- - - -
Still raging at Moretta’s folly, I described what I had seen to Brissa later today. She agreed with me that they were all fools and risked the wrath of Umberlee herself by attempting such a voyage.
“It’s all Tolin’s fault, you know?” she said. “He’s the one who put those foolish ideas in her head. She only started acting strange like this when they got together.”
Of course… It made perfect sense.
It was Tolin’s fault!
That arrogant bastard had resented Trouble’s success since our very first adventure. And somehow, that hatred had been channeled toward ME! Why? Surely because I am the most charismatic member of the group… I’m the shining beacon of everything he will never be. He draws a direct link between my successes and his failures.
While we were taking our first trip toward Farshore, I was the captain of the Sea Wyvern, the “other” ship from his point of view. He wasn’t even the captain of his own ship. Oh, how that must’ve weighed on him! He surely must have felt that HE should’ve been in charge of the Sea Wyvern. But I was the one Lavinia had trusted with that responsibility. Lavinia… the woman he had been ogling for so long… She was forever out of his reach. Moretta had only been his second choice. Poor girl, I wondered if she knew.
Yes… I remembered several instances now where the rivalry between the two ships, and between the two adventuring groups, had generated sparks of hatred between Tolin and me. Since I had always been the winner, I had of course rubbed it in his face. I was also the one who convinced Zan to accompany us to the pyramid below the spider-city; it was likely at that point that he realized how much more powerful my group was. That had probably pushed Zan to leave the Jade Ravens altogether, as he had (correctly) guessed that theirs was a lost cause. What’s more, Liamae, that stinking cow, must have constantly been spreading foul lies about me behind my back, twisting the arrogant man’s mind. And now Tolin, this sore loser, was getting back at me in such an under-handed way, by stealing my friend. What a sad, pathetic excuse for a man!
It is all very clear to me now… Tolin must die.
- - - -
I also discussed Tolin and Moretta’s absence with Manthalay this evening. Since it was clear that Tolin wasn’t coming back, he had already appointed a new mercenary leader: Stragdar, our dwarven ballista operator! The staunch mercenary had over the past few months risen in rank as the leader of the Black Shield mercenaries, and now outranked even Ulvar Kabbania, the previous militia commander. I was pleased to hear this. Stragdar is a straight-forward, reliable, Umberlee-fearing soldier.
My lover was suitably irate at Tolin’s betrayal, and I added that he had likely been manipulated by Liamae and Lavinia. We spent a good portion of the night raging against those two meddling wenches, constantly trying to undermine our hard work to make Farshore a better place. Of course, since Lavinia doesn’t have any political obligations, and Liamae doesn’t have a temple to run, they have all the time in the world to concoct all manners of devious schemes. And now Lavinia is in Sasserine, likely hatching yet more convoluted plots against us!
I spent a good part of the evening pacing furiously in the manor’s sumptuous living room, but I couldn’t do anything more productive at this time, stuck as I was in Farshore. Manthalay and I were united together against all of our enemies. At least I was not alone.
He noticed how tense I was and started massaging my shoulders. He made me realize that I was getting much too worked up over these trivialities, while we could’ve been spending our time in a much more productive way. He led me to the bedroom, and there we abandoned all of our worries for a good while…
Kythorn 4th, 1376
The days go by, and there’s still no sign of my companions here. I keep in daily contact with them through magic, but they’re not willing to come back to Farshore yet. At least I’m not wasting my time, as I’ve already begun increasing the enchantment on my cloak, and Sparkillo assured me he would bring some potent magical components for me to craft Raguhl’s belt of strength, as well as some other items the mage has in mind for himself.
Thanks to my ring of sustenance, I only need to sleep very little, so I mostly do my crafting at night, which allows me to spend my days tending to the religious, political, social and medical needs of Farshore. With my miraculous powers of healing, the citizens are in quite good hands. I am so powerful than I can literally cure them from any accident, animal bite or disease that doesn’t actually kill them.
A few days ago, I helped one of the local women give birth to a healthy baby daughter. As I go about my daily business, I can’t help but be keenly aware of all the young mothers in the community. I am starting to fear the time when, later this summer, I will turn the dreaded thirty years of age… still unmarried, and child-less.
To make things worse, Sparkillo announced in one of our recent magical communications that Chochanika was pregnant. I congratulated him on the upcoming half-elf, but secretly, I felt bitterly jealous of the primitive, dark-skinned girl. She was getting what had been denied to me. And I knew it would be unwise of me to try to have a child at this time, when the threat of the demons still loomed over the horizon of our destiny. I would soon be called upon to venture forth into deadly battle yet again, and I could hardly do that while pregnant!
Alas, as usual, I was too weak to keep these dark feelings inside, and I spoke about them with Manthalay this evening. He gently took my hand in his and smiled as though he had somehow anticipated that I would bring this up.
“For a long time now, I have desired to have a son, an heir that I could be proud of; but the conditions have never been right. Somehow, I had never met the right woman… until last year. You are that woman, Belessa. I want you to be the mother of my heir.”
“But Manthalay, you know of my divine mission. I could not give you a son, at least not until the menace of Demogorgon’s spawn is dealt with! And I may not even survive such a dangerous endeavor.”
He nodded gravely. “I understand, my dear. You must fulfill your obligation to Umberlee first, and I know she will watch over you and protect you as you oppose these terrible forces. But when you emerge victorious, and I know you will, I would like to have you here, at my side, as we build Farshore into a great, thriving community.”
He stood up, and then went down on his knee in front of me. I couldn’t believe it. Was this really happening?
He produced a small box from his pocket, within which was revealed a beautiful diamond ring. Manthalay looked deep into my eyes.
“Belessa Darkwave… Will you marry me?”
I was caught completely by surprise, and probably remained silent for several long moments. A torrent of thoughts and emotions was cascading through my mind at the time. I wasn’t sure whether I truly loved Manthalay himself, or mostly his wealth and nobility. My heart was still torn between him and Dolmord, whom I planned on seeking out in the near future.
I had gotten so caught up in my relationship with Umberlee, her divine mission, the sheer terror of my recent adventures and of the upcoming one that I had forgotten to think about my own life, and its necessities.
As a young girl, I had always fantasized about marrying a handsome nobleman. And it was finally happening! True, Manthalay was quite a bit older than me, but he was still a handsome and entirely physically fit man. I would be a fool to refuse his offer… Wouldn’t I?
But there was also Dolmord…
“I don’t know what to say…” I admitted. “I’m sorry, Manthalay, this is so sudden… I would like to think about it for a few days…”
I immediately saw how badly his pride had gotten hurt, and his smile became forced, but he answered: “Of course, my love. I know you have a lot on your mind. Take all the time you need.”
The rest of the night was awkward to say the least… What kind of fool was I, not to have immediately accepted his offer? He was a powerful man, and I knew he truly loved me. I was surprised that my emotional link to Dolmord was still so strong after being separated from him for so long. But after all, in addition to the love I felt for him, I owed him my life…
Quite simply, my brain loved Manthalay, but my heart loved Dolmord. Which one would win?
Kythorn 6th, 1376
Still uncertain as to how to respond to Manthalay’s proposal, I’ve focused on other issues lately. I’ve been working very hard on enchanting our magical items, and I’ve been following up closely on the construction of the temple. It’s progressing quite well, especially since I’m now in town and able to help the work with my magic, shaping some stones into the desired shapes. I have the architect wrapped around my finger, and he’s customizing the temple to my every need.
I’ve tried to scry on Father Catherly today, but the spell failed. I was very surprised. Surely he must be protected by some kind of potent and rare magic. But what, exactly? I wish I had a better idea of Father Innersol’s abilities. He must be quite powerful. Is he stronger than me?
Umberlee has said that she would look kindly upon his demise, but I’m not sure I want to destroy him. I hate Catherly, that sniveling fool, but I found Father Innersol very reasonable when we met; he showed me the respect I deserve. We share the same goals, for now at least. I have no quarrel with him. Yet it seems that we must meet both of them before we face the evils of the Central Plateau. Will Father Catherly, or some of the other zealots gathered under Father Innersol’s banner, try to force the old priest to oppose me as well?
I’ve communicated with Tyria a few times. She’s busy helping her family to relocate their business to Calimshan. It seems they ran into trouble in Sasserine. She sent me a few pieces of a poem she’s written… As if I cared!
In fact, it seems that Tyria’s relatives aren’t the only ones to be in danger. I’ve spoken several times with Kallia Nylos via magic. As well connected as she is in both the Dawn Council and the church of Umberlee, she’s told me that there is a great upheaval currently taking place in Sasserine. Zebula Meravanchi is making a push for his family to gain control of the merchant district. Lord Lorchester is also very active, backing up the Meravanchis’ claim on that vacant position (but still with hopes that Manthalay would be in control instead of Zebula). Alliances are being formed throughout the city, and there are some power struggles everywhere.
Trouble has not avoided these tensions. An act of arson was committed against Lagaan and Ulfgar’s brewery; but they were able to stop the flames in time and save their business. Speaking with Sparkillo by magic, I learned that his family is in danger as well. They have made powerful enemies.
I relayed the information to Manthalay, and we spent the entire evening discussing it together. It soon became clear that he had no choice: he must return to Sasserine not only to help his family claim control of the Merchant District, but also to wrestle control from his loathsome brother Zebula. I would be so useful to him in this endeavor, with my powerful magic, my natural talent at diplomacy, and to provide moral support as well, but alas, Umberlee has expressly forbidden me from returning to Sasserine at this time. I explained this to him, and he nodded in understanding. He said that he knew that Umberlee’s desires came before anything else.
What a wonderful man… He truly understands and respects me. I almost gave in tonight, and accepted his offer for marriage.
I wish Umberlee didn’t keep such a short leash on me. What have I done to deserve this? She keeps me prisoner on the island… like a pretty songbird in a golden cage.
Kythorn 8th, 1376
I’ve turned toward divine magic to try to answer my dilemma about Manthalay and Dolmord, but even that yielded no useful result. While I was relieved to discover that Dolmord is alive, it seems he is shielded by powerful magical protections. I cannot scry on him, and the responses he gave to my Sending spells seem to indicate that he is in a delusional state, perhaps drugged.
“… dream… Belessa… are you dead? Alive? Undead? A demon?... Are you?... Who am I?... It hurts… The fog won’t go… Is it you, Belessa? The fog won’t go… I…”
Such were the ramblings that echoed my messages. I then turned to divination to discover how to find and free him, but Umberlee once again insisted that she doesn’t want me to leave the island. Her answer could be summarized as: “Ask me again after cleansing the Central Plateau. Concentrate on the matter at hand.”
Sparkillo came back to Farshore today. He brought Lavinia back, but Ulfgar and Lagaan remained in Sasserine. We had dinner together in Lavinia’s manor, along with others such as Raguhl, Liamae, Manthalay and Avner. We learned more about the chaos that currently grips Sasserine. I noticed that Sparkillo seemed unusually tense. His family really was in deep trouble; some of his relatives had been attacked by hired thugs. Lagaan had been attacked by assassins, and had only narrowly escaped with his life. Even Tyria’s family, harmless as it is, had been threatened. It seems clear that someone is after the members of Trouble and their relatives. It makes sense: we have made our shares of enemies during our ascension to power. Currently, there is nobody in Sasserine that I am worried about losing, but unfortunately, Manthalay will travel there soon. I fear for him… I would like to be there to defend him!
Raguhl and I are eager to continue our mission, but the others are more worried about the situation in Sasserine. Since it seems we’ll be waiting for them for a while, I will proceed with the enchantments that Raguhl (and now, Sparkillo) have asked me to perform, and Raguhl will travel back to his village of Krh-ku-krh, to be with his people. He will even take the little kobold Churtle with him, as she will be more at ease among the scaly creatures than here in Farshore.
Sometimes, I glimpse the terrible two-headed baboon demon in my dreams. I still fear to see him in the reflection of mirrors… Farshore is not safe as long as the fiend's presence continues to be felt on the island.
Kythorn 10th, 1376
There was a gathering of the Town Council tonight, since Manthalay will be leaving tomorrow. My lover made the announcement that I was to be in charge in his stead during his absence. As I should have expected, a cacophony of protests were immediately raised by various parties, including of course Lavinia, but also that treacherous cur Avner, who had expected to be the one in charge in his uncle’s absence!
After much bickering, we agreed that the council would rule Farshore together until Manthalay’s return. Thus, the power will be shared between myself, Lavinia, Liamae, Avner, Professor Aldwattle (the eccentric local alchemist), Johan Bramblefoot, Stragdar, and a few others. Jeran Emrikad, the librarian, will also be with us, but only in an advisory position.
Stragdar is a worshipper of Umberlee, and loyal to Manthalay, so I know he won’t oppose me. Of course, in this forum, Lavinia, Liamae and Avner are openly hostile to me. I hope I can make the others listen to the voice of reason. Otherwise, this is going to go to hell until Manthalay comes back.
Since he was replaced by Tolin, and then by Stragdar, as militia captain of Farshore, Ulvar Kabbania is now stationed among the seven villages, ready to help us plan a takeover at the opportune time. Of course, due to Lavinia’s influence, it might take a long while before it is feasible. That foolish girl is constantly opposing our plans of expansion in the neighboring villages.
Despite the opposition we faced from those idiots, Manthalay and I fought them with strength, pride and dignity. It felt right to be at his side. He’s a very efficient ruler. I’m proud to be associated to him. We make a good team… I thought about all of this as he presided over tonight’s council session.
On the way back to the manor, under the starry sky, we walked hand in hand as we discussed a few of the last details of the activities to oversee in his absence. Once we were inside, alone, I told him I had given much thought to his proposal… and that I accepted to marry him if and when I would come back after achieving victory over the demon threatening the island.
His eyes widened in delight, and we kissed passionately, knowing that we would be separated for a long time… And would soon both be in great danger.
Kythorn 11th, 1376
I couldn’t resist today, I had to show my beautiful new ring to Brissa! She was suitably impressed, as it is adorned with a huge diamond that comes from the local mine.
“Are you sure about this?” she asked me with a grin.
“Yes,” I replied. “I know I hesitated at first, but I would be a fool to refuse him. Manthalay’s a powerful ruler, he’s serious, noble, and he treats me well. He’s a good man. He’ll make a good husband for me. And a good father for our children. I would like to have children once this is over. Even though some idiots like Moretta think of me as some sort of monster, I’m still a woman like any other. I want to have children of my own at some point. Once I’ve finally proven myself to Umberlee, once I’ve completed this mission that I’m on… Finally, she’ll let me live a normal life. And this is a good place to raise children… If we succeed in our task, then once the demons are gone, it’ll be safe… It’ll be the beginning of a new world here.”
“Wow, you really put a lot of thought into this. But what about Dolmord?”
I sighed. “He’s also part of my plan. I will ask Umberlee to show me the way to free him. Even if we’re not together, I don’t want him to suffer anymore. I owe him my life! I will do everything I can to save him. And besides… He’ll be insurance in case things don’t work out with Manthalay…” I added with a wink.
Brissa chuckled. “You could always take him as a lover just like you did when you were with Stalman Klim.”
“Exactly!”
- - - - - - - - - - -
Sparkillo will return to Sasserine tomorrow, bringing Manthalay back with him. I wish I could go with them… The elf asked me to come, but I had to refuse. He didn’t understand at first, but I explained that Umberlee’s eye is on me now. I’ve been in her presence. I’m linked to her now. She told me not to go back to Sasserine: her church there must not be weakened by internal strife. And she doesn't want me to waste time and energy fighting Edvanda when I have something more important to do right here. I know one day she will give me the chance to slay my rival... but the time is not right.
Kythorn 23rd, 1376
Manthalay’s been gone for over ten days now, and I already miss him terribly. It’s precisely for times like this that I would need a big, muscular lover like Dolmord to entertain me while my husband’s away!
Time passes and things don’t change much. I’m still working hard on enchanting our magical items, keeping in contact with my companions through magic (they’re still in danger over there), and fighting with Avner, Lavinia and Liamae at the council.
I am now so strong in my magic that I can control the weather around Farshore. I used this power yesterday to turn back a storm that threatened to hit the bay. The worshippers of Umberlee were thankful for this miracle, but they represent a disappointingly small percentage of the overall population. I’ve put forth proposals for incentives for the general population to worship Umberlee, such as reduced taxes, better jobs, more holidays, but I’m meeting a strong resistance from my opponents on the council.
Today, I scried on Rakis-Ka, curious to see what was up to after all this time. I saw that he is still at Golismorga, studying the pyramid. I saw no troglodytes or koprus around him, so I dare to hope that they’ve fled the city for good.
Kythorn 28th, 1376
I’m still keeping in touch with Manthalay by magic. He’s been very busy in Sasserine lately. It’s still dangerous over there. He informed me that the High Priestess has finally passed away; may her soul sail forever in the sea of the dead.
As we expected, that loathsome Edvanda has taken her role as the new High Priestess of our church in Sasserine. What’s more, Manthalay has learned that she’s the one who orchestrated most of the attacks against Tyria and Sparkie’s families, and the arson on the brewery. She’s very powerful now, personally and politically as well. She has allied herself with the Taskerhill and Dracktus families. The only crime she doesn’t seem to be guilty of is the assassination attempt against Lagaan: it seems this was committed by Zebula, who blames Lagaan for the disappearance of his pet nymph. Knowing the daring young rogue, I would guess that he’s right!
How I wish I were with Manthalay and with my companions of Trouble. Together, we could attack Edvanda and get rid of that b!!%% once and for all! But at least, Lord Lorchester is there to help Manthalay. They’re working on getting rid of Zebula.
Flamerule 4th, 1376
Raguhl returned to Farshore today, accompanied by a few members of his tribe. I recognized the old shaman Sessrek, and he introduced the others. One of them was a small, weak-looking lizardman, which I soon realized was not only a female, but even more than that: she is Sorskaa, Raguhl’s sister! She’s apparently his only living relative. He has brought her to Farshore to learn more about the ways of the humans. What’s more, Raguhl has ordered the construction of a small settlement on the coast of the island, on the other side of the mountains from his village of Krh-ku-krh. Some cargo will be traded between that settlement and Farshore, and a team of porters will take care of transporting those goods over the mountains.
Flamerule 8th, 1376
It’s Sparkillo’s birthday today, but since he’s still in Sasserine, I contacted him by magic.
Over the past few fays, I’ve spent some time in contemplation of the Chaos Scrolls and the Demon Claw I got from Zotzilaha. Such potent and mysterious artifacts, that I keep, idle, in my portable hole nowadays. Should I try to use them in some way? And if so, how? I believe I’ve asked Umberlee about their purpose when I was with her, but if she replied, my consciousness has no recollection of it.
Flamerule 10th, 1376
Raguhl returned to Krh-ku-krh today with Urol, Sessrek and a few merchants and sailors from Farshore. His sister and a few other Lizardfolk are staying in Farshore for a while longer, to continue learning about our language and culture. I can see that Raguhl is trying to bridge the gap between our two races. Unfortunately, I don’t have any time to spare educating these monsters, so I will leave such tasks in the “capable” hands of Lavinia.
Flamerule 11th, 1376
It’s Moretta’s 25th birthday today. To think that this time last year, we celebrated merrily aboard the Sea Wyvern. Even though our journey was fraught with peril, it seems those were simpler times for some reason.
I struggled with my own pride for most of the day, and finally, my resolve broke. I couldn’t remain silent. I used my magic to contact Moretta.
“Happy birthday, my dear Moretta! I wish I could tell you this in person. I pray for your safe journey across the ocean.”
She replied: “I'm sorry, Belessa. Sorry for the way I acted. I am not worthy. Still, I love Tolin and will keep my child.”
A few minutes later, I sent a second message, this time to Tolin:
“Next time we meet, I will kill you. Don’t think you can hide from me, fool. Moretta’s child will never know his father.”
He replied: “Why do you have to persecute us such? Can you let your "friend" Moretta live the life she chose for herself?”
I did not deign reply to his rhetorical question, but I found it amusing that he somehow figured I was persecuting them (by doing what exactly, I wonder?), and that he had the audacity to deny being the one who manipulated Moretta into risking her life, and her unborn child’s, to leave the island.
Moretta is weak. She doesn’t have what it takes to be a priestess of Umberlee. It’s all very clear to me now. I’m much better served by Cato now. He is strong-willed, and does Umberlee’s bidding without flinching, using his own power, and that of Penkus to inspire fear and respect among the population.
Flamerule 26th, 1376
The temple’s main structure is now finished, all that remains to be done is to decorate it and carve a few more rooms deeper in the rock. A few worshippers are carving bas-reliefs and holy runes as we speak. Brissa has also started to paint some murals for the temple. She’s shown me drafts of her work, which she has drawn on parchment. It’s beautiful: once again, I was impressed with her skill. Her art is much more sinister, violent than before, when she used to mostly paint ships and peaceful landscapes. She is truly a great worshipper of Umberlee, and her soul is in accord with the furious spirit of our goddess.
Cato and Bereleth have moved their quarters to the temple now, and Penkus has become its guardian. Meanwhile, the other priests that we brought from Farshore can do what they want in the smaller temple; I do not care.
A week of great celebrations started yesterday in honor of the new temple, as well as to highlight the Shieldmeet, the greatest of all festivals, which only happens once every four years. In addition to leading the priesthood of Umberlee through these celebrations, I’ve summoned large quantities of food for the citizens. The greatest benefactors are treated to my Heroes’ Feast, while the masses are taken care of with simpler spells, which of course, come in addition to the fruits, vegetables and seafood provided by the townspeople themselves.
A few youngsters from the village have recently joined our ranks as acolytes of Umberlee. They will get a chance to show their worth during the upcoming ceremonies.
Flamerule 29th, 1376
As a highlight of the celebrations this week, after warning the worshippers of Umberlee not to go fishing for a few days, I summoned a holy storm over the bay, and many of the ships whose owners are from rival faiths were capsized and destroyed. I hope that the few casualties that had to be claimed by our goddess today will serve to enlighten the survivors into realizing the importance of paying proper respect to our mighty mistress!
Later, in a grand ceremony in front of the new temple, I summoned a wind elemental to carry our offerings to Umberlee herself.
Midsummer/Shieldmeet
Several more days of festivities have followed, with the twin holidays of Midsummer and Shieldmeet as their climax. I united several young couples in marriage on Midsummer’s day, and used my magic to ensure that the weather was peaceful, as a storm on that day is seen as a terrible omen by all faiths, even ours.
Shieldmeet saw tournaments of archery and wrestling, competitions of swimming and other athletics, spectacles and dances. In the evening, I entertained the crowd with an impressive show of some of my mightiest spells, summoning wind, lightning, hail and flame out of the thin air. This was enhanced even more with some fireworks from Professor Aldwattle.
I wish Manthalay, and even my companions of Trouble, had been here to celebrate this great holiday with me. But I can’t blame them: if I had been given the choice between celebrating it in Farshore, or in the splendor of Sasserine, I would also have chosen the latter. At least I had Brissa with me, and we enjoyed it together.
Eleasias 5th, 1376
Today was my thirtieth birthday…
I had been dreading it for a while now, as I wrote before. Strangely, it’s not being in my thirties that I hate so much… It’s more that I miss not being in twenties anymore.
After the week-long festivities we had recently, and since Manthalay is still in Sasserine, I opted for something totally quiet and low-key: I simply spent the evening with Brissa at the House of Trouble. She’s had the big house to herself for a few months now, and she seems to enjoy it greatly.
She offered me a painting as a gift: she somehow found the time to work on it without my knowledge, and I was flattered that she’d taken the time to do it on top of all her duties at the temple. It showed the Sea Wyvern in our heroic combat against the hydra, last year.
We played some card games, reminisced about our sea voyage last year, b&#$+ed about Lavinia and Liamae, and drank way too much.
Eleasias 9th, 1376
Sparkillo came back to Farshore today, and will bring Liamae to Sasserine when he returns there tomorrow. Umberlee be praised, this should give me a break from her! He told me that things are still hectic in Sasserine, but nobody close to us has been harmed.
I wish Avner would leave for Sasserine too. I’m quickly reaching the end of my patience with this fool. Thankfully, the construction of his new house was recently finished, so he’s moved out of our manor. That imbecile is now openly opposing Manthalay’s rule, hinting in very un-subtle ways that he considers my fiancé a traitor for going against his father, whom he considers in his misguided view to be the righteous leader of the Meravanchis, despite his countless flaws!
I’ve also scried on Rakis-Ka again, and have caught him studying the glyph in N’Gloth Noru’s temple. He was floating in the air, bathed in the blue radiance of that magical symbol. It’s a good thing we thought of killing N’Gloth Noru... But is the Tear safe? Perhaps we should have killed Rakis-Ka as well, just to be safe. He’s powerful, knowledgeable and unpredictable. I’m worried we will regret leaving him be.
Eleint 2nd, 1376
I’ve at long last finished enchanting the magical items that Raguhl, Sparkie and Ulfgar asked me to improve, in addition to my cloak. Sparkie has also increased the mighty magic infusing my armor and shield. We are now as ready as we’ll ever be to face the dangers of the Central Plateau, but still, those fools tarry in Sasserine, unnecessarily delaying the mission.
Thankfully, Amella has returned to Farshore a few days ago. She’s constantly traveling between here and Sasserine these days, and her reputation as a skilled captain is ever increasing. It feels good to be in the company of the small, foul-mouthed woman once again. She told me her latest stories of sea voyage, and I told her our group’s tale of adventure in the lightless depths.
Farshore’s reputation is rapidly growing as a promising colony where everyone can get rich and make a new life for oneself, and more and more colonists are flocking to the town since we arrived last year. The town has almost doubled in size already. It’s really thriving, and it’s one of the reasons why Manthalay’s claim as a potential Lord of Sasserine can be taken so seriously.
Nevertheless, even after the fight we won against Vanthus and his ships last year, the Crimson Pirates are still strong in the seas, and Amella reported that at least two ships bound for Farshore never made it here because they were attacked by Crimson Pirates. This, of course, makes her own journeys that much more perilous, even though her ships are well-armed.
Eleint 11th, 1376
One year ago exactly, the Sea Wyvern crashed against the reefs in that terrible storm, and it marked our arrival on the Isle of Dread. As I look back and think about everything that’s happened since then, it feels like it’s been even longer. What a terrible tragedy that was; so many lives were lost, I almost lost Amella and Brissa as well, and I thought that Umberlee herself had forsaken me at the time. I’m glad to see that things are going so much better this year.
Eleint 25th, 1376
Amella left again on another one of her sea voyages a few days ago, but on a more positive note, Lagaan, Ulfgar and Sparkillo have finally returned to Farshore in preparation for our assault on the Skinwalkers and their dark master on the Central Plateau.
It had been several months since I’d seen Lagaan and Ulfgar, and as is often the case, it’s only after spending an evening in their infuriating company that I realized how truly peaceful these months had been. I wish I had cherished them more.
Lagaan’s had his rapier blessed by a “good” cleric in Sasserine, and has teased me several times about it already. He claims that it would cause me great harm to even attempt to wield it… It’s nice to see that the imbecile is still as diplomatic as ever with the person who’s got the power to bring him back to life, should a gigantic demon decide to have him for breakfast.
Ulfgar seemed quite different, thinner perhaps, and more jittery. I tried to contain my laughter when I noticed that he was drinking water the entire evening: it seems that Umberlee’s curse is still strong on him! Nevertheless, I learned that he spent a lot of time working at the brewery during the summer, and that the establishment should now be safe from vandals, as it was “officially” bought by a secret friend of Tyria’s father’s. It still truly belongs to my two companions, though.
Ulfgar told me about several arena fights he performed during the summer. The experience and magical items he gained while adventuring with us have allowed him to become a mighty warrior, and he easily defeated any opponent that the arena master could unleash upon him. Still, the weight of both curses hung heavy upon him. He admitted that he hadn’t found any priests capable of lifting Umberlee’s curse.
I smiled at his miserable expression, and assured him I would meditate on the matter. I also promised to try and lift Demogorgon’s curse on him and Lagaan - making sure, of course, to pronounce the demon’s name several times in the span of just a few sentences, just to see them writhe in pain!
We spent a good part of the evening discussing the upcoming mission. We would need to stop by Krh-ku-krh to pick up Raguhl before heading to the Central Plateau, of course, but that shouldn’t take long thanks to Sparkillo’s magic.
Suddenly, Lagaan interrupted the discussion with an appreciative whistle: “Hey, Belessa, that’s a big stone you’ve got on your finger. I heard about the engagement… congratulations!”
Smiling proudly, I showed my friends my magnificent diamond ring. They knew I already had two magical rings before, and jokingly asked me if this one was enchanted too. It’s not, of course, and we had a good laugh at that strange magical phenomenon that only allows people to benefit from at most two magical rings at the same time.
Eleint 28th, 1376
The others are slowly starting to get ready to leave on our mission. We received a surge of motivation today in the form of Jakara, the savage warrior. He came to Farshore in a small boat, and he bore grim news: Father Innersol learned through divination that Farshore is once again in great danger!
We sat together around the dinner table in the House of Trouble this evening, as the dark-skinned man explained the nature of this new threat. Jeran Emrikad, the librarian, had also been invited by Sparkie, and the old librarian took notes frantically as Jakara wove his tale. It appears that the source of the demonic influence on the Isle of Dread lives in ancient Olman ruins on an island of the Central Plateau. Sparkillo had spoken about this island before: he had seen it last year, when he teleported there by accident, and almost got killed by a group of furious Skinwalkers.
Those ruins are permeated by a great evil. According to Father Innersol, the true mastermind behind the creation of the shadow pearls lives in those ruins. We were surprised to hear this, as we had assumed it had been the Demogorgon-worshipping koprus who had been behind this. It seems they were only the puppets of a greater master… And now, the demon host of the island knows that Trouble is responsible for stopping the creation of the shadow pearls by having slain the parasite in Holashner’s ziggurat, as well as many of the koprus of Golismorga. The demons want revenge… It seems that they are poised to attack Farshore, which might not be ready this time to withstand another terrible attack. Jakara suggested that Trouble should strike at the heart of this evil before the raid was launched, and we all agreed with him. It was time to finish this, once and for all!
Sparkillo gave Jakara something to draw with, and the barbarian made us a surprisingly beautiful map of the Central Plateau, featuring a lake in its middle, as well as a patch of jungle within which Father Innersol and his followers were located in a secret camp. Apparently, it was so hard to find that they had succeeded in eluding the demons for many months, but Jakara gave us instructions on how to find it. With Raguhl’s skill as a tracker, we should be able to do so.
The camp itself is within an old temple to Tonatiuh, god of the sun among the Olmans (and the equivalent to Lathander in our own pantheon, the god that Father Innersol himself worships… how fitting). Jakara showed us another ruined Olman town about five to seven miles away from the camp. It is on the shore of the lake and is called Mantru. At the center of this lake is Taboo Island, our ultimate destination. This is where the evil lives.
Apparently, the town of Mantru used to be inhabited by strange people, who appeared to be under the effect of some sort of mind control. Noltus tried to befriend them, but they were too enthralled to behave in a coherent manner. He tried to free some of them from this curse, but those he freed tended to disappear mysteriously… and the rest of the population remained apathetic in face of their plight, and even of their own. More recently, the town has become entirely abandoned, with no sign of what happened to these unfortunate souls…
My companions asked what manner of enemies we might find on the plateau, and Jakara described the battles he had fought against Skinwalkers, savage dinosaurs tainted by the shadow pearls’ foul magic, spectres, giant tigers and blackfang Rhagodessas. Father Innersol also told him that some kind of treants lived in the jungles there, but they were reclusive creatures, and although the priest had looked for them to try to forge an alliance, he had never been able to find them.
“This is most fascinating!” said Jeran.
“Yeah,” agreed Ulfgar. “It’s been ages since I’ve faced a proper enemy in battle! My axe is as thirsty as I am!”
Indeed, I had not lifted either Ulfgar’s curses yet. Demogorgon’s curse was difficult to break, and only by trying my spells many times had I finally been able to lift the one on Lagaan. Alas, the one on Ulfgar still eluded me.
As for Umberlee’s curse, my meditation had shown me that salvation would not come from my divine powers, but rather from Ulfgar’s own actions. In a flash of divine inspiration, Umberlee showed me that Ulfgar would need to create a stone effigy of her with his own hands. Then, he would need to kiss it, and pray for forgiveness with an honest heart.
“And you need to make a donation of five thousand gold pieces to the church of Umberlee,” I stated with an almost straight face.
The dwarf glowered at me. “Anything else?...” he asked with an edge of desperation in his voice.
I laughed lightly. “I made that last part up, but the rest is all true. It’s your own actions that brought this upon you, Ulfgar, and you’re the only one who can get yourself out of this predicament!”
The dwarf grumbled, tugging his beard as he thought about this.
“I suggest you start carving soon,” I added, “because we’ll be leaving soon on that mission against the minions of Demogorgon!”
Ulfgar’s features were once again twisted in pain as I activated his other curse. “I … hate… you… Belessa…” he said through a grimace.
I laughed at him for a bit, and then Lagaan approached me. He asked me to relay a message to Zebula via magic. I laughed again when I heard it, and accepted the task.
Several minutes later, I contacted Zebula via a Sending spell with Lagaan’s message, which shed some doubt on Zebula’s sexual orientation. The nobleman immediately replied: “Tell your little friend he’s dead meat! Nobody’s safe from me, not Lagaan, and not you!!”
I smiled and turned back toward the rogue. “He’s aghast that you’ve discovered his secret, and asks you not to spread the rumor around too much.”
Excellent...sounds like the adventure is about to continue. Were you able to play the last couple of weekends like you thought? It sounded like the catch up of interplay during the off time here, but looking forward to the continuation.
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Excellent...sounds like the adventure is about to continue. Were you able to play the last couple of weekends like you thought? It sounded like the catch up of interplay during the off time here, but looking forward to the continuation.
Yes, we got to play on august 9th after all. I'm hoping to have finished typing the update by the end of the week. :)
The first game of City of Broken Idols was pretty brutal... one member of Trouble died, and another one ALMOST died as well... !