As we stand on the banks of the Jeggare, I can't help but whisper a prayer for the people of the city that we are forced to leave behind. We rescued Seneschal Kalepopolis and Vencarlo, and now have to see them to safety. By all indications, it is not safe for the rest of us to remain in the city either.
I will come back to restore law and justice to the people of Korvosa. The wrongs being done will be righted.
It truly is one thing after another it seems. As we travel through the Cinderlands to get information on a relic referred to as "Midnight's Teeth" we learned that there are those among the Shaonti that are advocating an attack on Korvosa. To stop this course of action, we need to gain the trust of the local tribes. One "gentlemen" named Krojun may be especially troubling to deal with. I think I know what my part will be in this, and I am not looking forward to getting eaten by a giant worm and cutting my way out to be "reborn"....... the things we do at times.
More troubling is our recent visitor.... Shadowcount Sial.... a cleric of Zon Kuthon who wants to aid us in out endeavors in order to recover Midnight's Teeth which may be a holy relic of his faith....... We accepted his aid for now, but I feel sick at heart over having to have any dealings with him. I would almost rather go treat with the Hellknights... at least with them I know what to expect and how to handle them.
I pray that Iomedae grants me the wisdom to see the correct path out of the tangled web before us. I feel as if my companions look to me for guidance in many ways and I do not want to let them do or imperil their souls in any way. Lady, please grant me strength to face the worm, wisdom to see through the lies and deceptions surrounding us, and the courage to do what needs to be done.
Dear Farrellon,
It was a joy to receive your recent letter, and it is good to hear that you have heard news of your brother. I hope your journey to Irrisen is peaceful and that you may find him well.
We have finally left Korvosa. I tried to get a message to you before this, hoping you would receive it before you leave Magnimar, but that is impossible now. I must credit our friend, Vencarlo, for his assistance in our flight. He has provided food and shelter and we have been given a lead to aid in our affairs with the queen. Indeed he has given us much more than that; I am his heir, of a sort. Should we ever make it back to Korvosa, I have agreed to carry out a duty which seems to have fallen to me solely through fate. I shall be able to tell you more of it when we next meet in person.
We have traveled to the Cinderlands with a new guide, Trinia Sabor (none other than the “outlaw” we helped to hide), and have become company of the Shoanti. It seems that our search for information is bound in a succession of quests to be completed before we can learn what we really need to know. The Shoanti are a complex people with tribal customs more complex than most of those in Mwangi (though we certainly have our moments). Thousand Bones, a Shoanti of the Skoan-Quah we assisted in Korvosa has assented to aid in our search for truth and has provided us with guides. They have brought us to an Acropolis of ancient age. Even the Elders would marvel to see it, although, truthfully, I have had enough of the place.
The Acropolis is known by our Shoanti guides of the Skoan-Quah to house an artifact we must find to negotiate with another tribe, the Lyrune-Quah. We managed to make it into the Acropolis ahead of an emberstorm, but found that quite a few others had, too. Most notable among them were the Red Mantis assassins who ambushed us. Whether they were lying in wait for us or someone else or whether they simply decided to ambush whoever came into the room, I do not know. We were fortunate in that our fight attracted others who aided us, but not so fortunate that it awoke something large and foul that lurked within the pits just outside the door. It attacked me first, and I found myself grabbed and hoisted into the air as it began squeezing the breath out of me. I didn’t notice the arrival of Krujon, a Sklar-Quah warrior with whom we’d had prior acquaintance, until I heard his booming voice bellowing as he attacked the thing that grabbed me. He seemed quite cheerful about it. Ademar’s bodyguard, Imperia, was grabbed, too, as was Krujon who seemed unfazed and simply broke the creature’s grasp time and again. Finally it dropped me, but the creepiness only got worse as I landed and realized I was standing on its eyeball. There are no suitable elven words to describe “the yuck factor”, as Majenko calls the queasiness and terror felt upon seeing it, nor would they have been sufficient in this case. I realized the colossal size of the creature who yet sleeps underneath this Temple. We really should just leave before it wakes again or before Krujon decides to attack it simply because he’s bored.
The Shadowcount who assisted us is named Sial, and though his nature completely repulses her, Lilia has gone to speak with him. In the meantime I have taken the liberty of finding a comfortable corner in which to sit and write. Though Adhemar has done his best to heal my more serious wounds, my ribs still ache terribly and the saber scars are more than evident. We have yet to find the object for whence we came; hopefully, we will find it quickly and leave. We then have to negotiate with the Lyrune-Quah and possibly a few others before we are able to obtain the knowledge we seek.
I shall try to find a way to send this to your father in Absalom in hopes that he may get it to you. Good luck in your endeavor to find your brother. I hope one day that we shall all meet together and celebrate life, love, and friendship.
May fair winds be always behind you.
Yours,
Sionan
As we continued our travels in the Cinderlands, Sial sent an urgent message to us.... it seems as if his traveling "castle" was under attack from one very angry red dragon... We managed to slay the beast as the Gods were smiling on us during the fight. I managed to hold my tongue against Sial after rescuing him... barely.
We have made contact with the Moon tribe and one of their Truthspeakers has agreed to come witness a legend reborn.... so into the belly of the beast I go. I hope I am successful in order to gain the trust of the Shoanti and get the information we need.
Desnus 4708
We met a dragon after our successful mission in the temple, and I’ve no wish to meet another any time soon. In fact, never would probably be too soon. Our Shoanti guides turned and ran when they saw it, and I must admit my legs didn’t seem to want to function properly. Though I eventually got close enough to hit it, Lilia and Imp dispatched it more quickly than anticipated. Iomedae and Abadar must have smiled.
Majenko reluctantly scouted its lair after Lilia requested that he do so. I’ve a feeling there’s no love lost between the two, but I cannot seem to persuade him to be less antagonizing. While he was gone, we took advantage of Sial’s hospitality. Though the undead creeping about the place were somewhat unsettling, the baths were warm and soothing. We didn’t get much sleep though. Majenko reported back to us with the news that humanoids were located in the dragon’s lair. So, of course, we set off to rescue them. I could have done without the shock. Two men were imprisoned there, chosen by the dragon for, well, breeding purposes. It was not what they had been through, nor even the eggs spawned from their union with her, that disturbed me most, but the face of the man who’d been there the longest. It was the face of my beloved, as like to her as possible, on a man. I was certain he was her brother, but I’m afraid my questions startled him, and he was reluctant to answer. His companion had no compulsion against smashing the eggs he knew he had fathered; Foxe was reluctant to do so, and carefully cast spells to protect them as prepared to leave, using a scroll of teleport that we found among the dragon’s hoard. I startled him further by asking him to deliver a letter I had recently written to Farrell; he took it reluctantly. I have no idea whether he will actually deliver it, or what he will eventually do with the eggs, but I’m hopeful that perhaps Farrell may at least hear from him and gain a few answers to ease her pain.
We took from the dragon’s hoard several things that were useful and headed back to Sial. He didn’t allow us much sleep and chided us for running off to what he thought was a useless errand. It was mid-day before we started and our Shoanti guides were impatient. It was early evening when we came across members of the Lyrune-Quad and, at their insistence, assisted in killing a creature who had over-take their temple. It was Sial who effectively ended the fight, casting a spell that froze the creature in its tracks. In spite of my misgivings about him, I was impressed.
The Lyrune-Quah were gladly provided us with a Truthspeaker. They seemed excited that someone was attempting to re-create their legends, and almost treated us as if we’d already done so. It felt odd.
We will soon leave to do so, and while Lilia has taken it upon herself to be the successor to the legend, my senses tell me that we will be needed in some capacity. I hope that I do not disappoint my companions as happened in the attack on the dragon. I have felt rather useless since.
As I pen this entry, the sounds of celebration surround me. While the Shoanti celebrate our victory, I need to take a few moments to reflect and clear my head.
We passed the Trial to become named members of the Sun tribe. While physically tasking, the visions I saw strengthened my resolve to see this through to the end and get justice for Korvosa. The attack by the bullettes at least broke the monotony of the beating sun and the muscle pain of holding up the pillars....
As we recovered and waited for the Sun Shaman to commune with his ancestors, the camp was attacked by the Red Mantis assassins. This time one of their leaders as well as her recruited allies showed herself. She tried to convince the Shoanti to "hand us over", but our new brothers and sisters wanted to hear none of that. Poor Krojun almost lost his life, but luckily we made it to him in time and managed to heal the worst of his wounds. Manye, just maybe we can get a break from assassins for awhile. Now we just need to deal with the Shadowcount. I don't trust his true motives, but we need every ally we can get at the moment.
I should join the party, but right now I need to reflect and think about our next moves. Whatever information we find out will be an aid, but we will need more than the five of us when the time comes to confront the "Queen". I can only hope that we have the wisdom to choose our course wisely as a single misstep can get us killed.
Late Desnus 4708
We are no longer tshamek. The Lyrune-Quah Truthspeaker was an inquisitive sort, and peppered poor Adhemar with questions throughout our trek to the territory of Cindermaw. Adhemar answered them all with his usual tact and dignity and unending reserve of patience.
Most of the encounters punctuating our journey through the Cinderlands were the typical types you’d expect in the wild. The exception was a gargoyle attack which confirmed our belief that Korvosa has not forgotten us. Carved into their "skin" were our likenesses. It was a grim reminder of the dangers we left behind.
Lilia’s ordeal with Cindermaw was impressive – frightening, but impressive. I don’t believe Adhemar ever imagined he’d be joining her too, but he did. Both survived and did so admirably. I wish the Elders could see humans in times like this. Our people have always been wary of other races, but the slave trade and other organized interests, especially the Aspis Consortium, have made the tribe wary of humans from other lands. My friends have stood beside me through many dire situations now, and have always proved themselves. I do not forget the slavers who murdered my sister, but I have learned not to paint all humans with the same brush.
The Truthspeaker’s words could not be doubted, but we still faced much opposition among the Sklar-Quah when we returned to their encampment. We were accepted as Shoanti with some reservation, but were denied the information we sought, nor were we successful in entreating the Sun Shaman to reconsider the Shoanti demands for war against Korvosa. Lilia learned from one of their Burn-Riders that the tribe may consider us Shoanti, but that didn’t mean we were Sklar-Quah. Of course, we realized that becoming Sklar-Quah meant yet another test, and, in spite of our reservations, requested permission from the Sun Shaman to undertake it.
It was called the Test of the Totem and was a grueling challenge requiring that we keep upright a set of pillars over a succession of three days. There would be one pillar for each of us and after twenty-four hours we were required to climb one more level, dragging the pillars with us, and raise them up again on the higher ledge of what the Sklar-Quah have named Bolt Rock. Needless to say, it seemed almost senseless to try, but we were determined. Our “friend” Krujon was absolutely incensed at our being allowed to even attempt it. The days dragged on and seemed to blend together as our fatigue gave way to exhaustion. I remember a vision, though it’s not so clear to me now as it was then, that gave me hope and confirmed for me that my decisions have been the right ones. It gave me a sense of peace I hadn’t felt since leaving Kibwe to follow my sister. Perhaps the others saw the same things I did, perhaps not, but we all felt our sense of purpose renewed. Then, as usual, something else came up.
Adhemar spotted them long before we did. A parched cry came from his mouth as he tried to point. “Land shark!” I think Lilia called them bulettes. Well, they were nasty, whatever you wanted to call them, and we were in no fit shape for fighting. Had Destrel not called for Horkin, things may have gone differently, but we did manage to defeat them. I was so exhausted that all events seemed mostly a blur.
The whole tribe greeted us that morning to welcome us as Sklar-Quah. There were no longer any dissenters among them. The Sun Shaman agreed to give us the information we sought and left then to commune with his ancestors in order to do so, wishing us well. Gratefully, we accepted breakfast and trudged to our yurt to sleep.
The Red Mantis attacked as we slept. It didn’t take long to discern who sent them and with whom they traveled. Accompanying the assassins of the Mask were gargoyles similar to those we’d encountered on our journey to Cindermaw, and one man whom we knew only by description, the Cinderlander. All we knew of him was that he made a career of killing Shoanti which now included us. Krujon took the attack personally and nearly died defending his tribe from the depredations of that ilk. It appears we’ve attracted more attention that I’d suspected. Just as we thought the battle was drawing to a close, however, someone else showed up. She called herself Cinnabar and entreated all the Shoanti to give us up to her. The tribe refused. Lilia made rather short work of her, actually, just as the Sun Shaman was returning. We have stopped again to clean ourselves up and rest shortly before meeting with him. I’ve taken advantage of the quiet to record these thoughts, and as I finish I realize Majenko appears to have disappeared for the moment. I must go make sure he’s not irritating someone.
The information we received from the Sun Shaman is dire indeed.
On our journey, we freed a wizard from Lastwall named Niko who was captured by orcs. The poor barely survived his ordeal, but has agreed to aid us in Scarwall as thanks for his rescue. He seemed taken aback when he realized the different affiliations of his rescuers but I tried to explain things to the best of my ability.
Iomadae, please watch over us as we enter Scarwall and watch over our souls even more as we move ever slowly to the final confrontation with the Queen.
We are building an army. Orisini has contacted me; he and Kalepopolis have amassed a force out of Janderhof and more will be arriving from Magnimar. Given the recent news of the Queen's behavior and a possible link to an ancient dragon, we are relieved to know that we have such allies to aid in removing the Queen and restoring Kelepopolis to his post. We may possibly even convince our Shoanti brethren to join us.
Our "friends" from Nidal claim that the dragon's teeth are a holy relic of their god, Zon Kuthon, which would explain their eagerness to assist us. After seeing some of the things he's capable of, I would not venture to refuse their aid, though I don't trust them as far as I could throw them. I'm sure they feel the same about us.
We must enter the fortress of Scarwall to retrieve an item which should help us defeat the Queen. If we are successful we will join the armies now mustering. If we do not succeed we will most certainly die here. I only hope we are able to get some kind of message to Orisini and Kalepopolis in either case.
We have rescued a wizard (seems to be a recurring theme with us) from trolling orcs and he’s now traveling with us along with our entourage from Nidal. The Sun Shaman had told us the story of the dragon Kazavon and of the pyramid that housed the dragon’s teeth. It appears that Castle Korvosa was built just over it, and Ileosa may have claimed the teeth as her own. Sial claims that the teeth are religious artifact of his god’s and should be returned to Nidal and given back to the faithful of Zon-Kuthon. I believe we have agreed to do this should we defeat the queen. I’m not thrilled of the wisdom of it, but who knows how it will all end?
As we approached the barbican overlooking the bridge it was easy to spot the guards. Destrel drew attention to herself by shooting a couple of them, and they returned fire, wounding her quite severely. Our new wizard companion, Nico, dropped a neat fireball spell right in the middle of them. I was impressed and slightly jealous. I must consider purchasing a wand of fireball; it could be useful - or at least amusing. I told Majenko to flee (not that he needed the direction) and took aim at another orc, hitting him, but barely. Lilia ran towards the keep in hopes of catching a few of them on the ground, as did Asirya, who simply climbed the walls. Now we know who benefited from the arachnid’s cloak. Her chains did nothing to lessen her resemblance to a demented spider, and I haven’t decided yet which is creepier. Sial took to the cover of the trees, and, seeing the wisdom in it, I followed shortly after, moving ahead of him to skirt the walls. I didn’t get to help much beyond my puny shot, though, because the others took care of most of the orcs, and the last one standing was one that was best left to the paladins.
We stood at the gate of the bridge and looked across the lake at Scarwall, where the last battle between Kazavon and Mandravius, the man who slew him, was fought. The object of our journey is to recover the sword that had slain the dragon and use it to defeat Ileosa. Scarwall is larger than imagined and an appalling sense of foreboding and revulsion hangs over the place. As we stepped onto the bridge the impending sense of evil deepened. Lilia looked almost physically ill; Imperia wasn’t much better, and Adhemar confirmed that the unhallow spell cast upon the place was quite powerful. Soon after we started our trek across the bridge, I heard the gates and portcullises of the castle begin to open. We began to hear an echoing rumble of marching feet. The fog and the echoes made it impossible to gauge how many there were, but Adhemar recognized that they were skeletons accompanied by some sort of skeletal beast. I heard Majenko’s “Oh, crap!” and waved him away. I assume he found cover behind one of the hideous gargoyle statues that lined the bridge. Even our friends from Nidal seemed to be discomfited. By the time we finished plowing through the skeletons, I could hear the gates closing. We were stuck outside.
Eventually we made it to the gates only to be fired upon from arrow-slits in the walls above us. Again, Asirya climbed the walls and made our attackers rather miserable. Destrel’s sniping helped greatly, but Sial’s dimension door was put to better use. Unfortunately, he could take only a few of us with him, and it made more sense to take those who would be most useful in a fight. The rest of us had to wait for the others to loose the chains and re-open the gates. Once that was accomplished, we rushed inside hoping to rejoin the others.
The corridors were full of corpses of those who had fallen here in the last battle. We stepped more carefully then, dreading even to step on one. That probably saved us. We’ve dealt with many undead in the course of this quest, but we’ve never had to deal with one great mound of them rising up to meet us. It was disturbing in too many ways, especially when it attacked, and I was quite grateful to see the rest of our companions join us. Fortunately, the fight here was not long, and we were finally able to stand and take stock for a few minutes before venturing to other rooms. Lilia and Nico discovered something as they scouted the next room, or at least it sounded like it. All I remember is that Lilia took a stunning set of armor from it. We’ve stopped for now to rest a moment, though I sense that we all feel anxious to complete our errand as soon as possible. This place seems to affect even our souls.
It’s been a long day. My body aches in many places, making it hard to meditate to bring order to my thoughts, so I set pen to paper instead. Majenko is currently curled up next to my knee and sleeping peacefully. Lately, he’s been sticking close to me when encamped and as far away from the Nidalese as possible. They seem to regard his species as some sort of delicacy.
The pall that hangs over Scarwall turns night into black ink. Lilia wisely suggested that we fall back outside for the night; no one wanted to sleep inside. We’re safe in Sial’s keep, but I feel no comfort in that either. We’ve been fighting undead all day, and being waited upon by them at night is unnerving. So far in Scarwall we’ve battled orcs, skeletons, minotaurs (twice), huge undead monsters made of corpses, undead knights, some “weird kind of smokey things that came out of the walls”, and a dragon. That was just today, and we’re not much closer to what we seek.
After our second run-in with the minotaurs I received a small lecture from Lilia about staying further back from the front line (something about being squishy), so I didn’t really get to see the weird smokey things, but they were described them to me as such. We investigated the courtyard after that and ran into the dragon. Thankfully, I’m agile enough to avoid the breath weapons most of the time and wasn’t caught in this one. Curiously, this dragon did not seem as frightening as the last one we fought, even after killing Imp and severely wounding several of the others. Perhaps I was simply too angry to be frightened. We didn’t lose Imp, thankfully, because of the others’ excellent spellwork. Destrel’s comment afterwards (“I’m so making a dress out of his hide.”) conjured some rather evocative images which amused me for a while. I wondered where she’d find a tailor – Absalom, possibly.
There was a perceptible change in the aura of the place as the dragon died. It’s possible, then, that it was one of the four anchors protecting the sword which means we’ve only three left. That’s an encouraging thought, but how long it takes to find the others, we can’t know. Still, in spite of what shadows remain about Scarwall, we resolve to carry on.
It’s intriguing how the mind works when one faces the possibility of death at every turn. Small details jump out at odd times. For instance, I’ve noticed that lately the humans seem to want to add a few superfluous syllables to my name. I’m not sure what they mean by it. Perhaps it just sounds good to them. Sionananan. It seems to keep them amused so I’ve decided to leave them to it.
Majenko is now snoring. He sounds like an asthmatic cat. Since my candle is burning low, I shall retire to meditation for now.
Scarwall..... I have never felt such palpable evil in my life as I did when we enter this accursed place. Each room seems to hold a new horror. Besides the countless skeletons, so far we have faced down a dragon of a type I have never heard of, and the shadows that almost cost us Adhemar. Luckily, Sial managed to bring him back to life. While I still don't trust or like Sial, he has lived up to his word so far. My one concern is that we are running out of time... Zolara's spirit was someone merged into the evil of this place when we arrived and our best guess is that unless we end the curse that hangs over this place, her soul will be lost forever. I hesitate to push my companions to move faster as being reckless will only get us all killed, but I can's stand that thought of Zolara's spirit being lost forever in this place. At least with the death of the dragon, the oppressive evil slightly lessened. The dragon must have been one of the guardians we were warned of. As we prepare to enter the second floor of the castle, I dread what new horrors we might find.
Dear Governor,
It seems that a few moons ago when you sent me out with a patrol of guards, we were ambushed by orcs and seriously overpowered. I seemed to be the last one they tortured and kept alive for reasons.
There happened to be a roving group of adventurers who freed me from my painstaking survival amongst the filth and grossly managed caravan the orcs had been with.
These people healed me and invited me to travel with them.
Out of all the places to travel to it had to be Scarwall. This is an ancient fortress filled with unsettled dead! The entrance was no problem, mainly a few hits to the guarding orks and Ta da, in we go. The rest of the way was One attack after another filled with gore and the stench of death from centuries back!!!
Lucky for us we have a resident cleric and a couple paladins. What a combination. I am very impressed with their fighting skills in general and specifically versus the dead here. We did face a nasty Dark Dragon where theirs and the rogue and ranger of sorts came in real handy.
They were traveling in the company of vile worshipers of Zon-Kuthon.
They were very helpful in healing and providing strengthening when the group decided they would attempt further investigation of the Fortress. I guess your kind advice in diplomacy does work sometimes. People can be of use if you allow them leeway. Seemed alright anyway because the Curate of this fine Vile fortress seemed to have been murdered long time ago and when we accidentally stumbled in a room with a greater shadow creature of sorts asking for willing position fillers for the Curate. Thank Pharasma, that our "happy" hosts were willing in this venture.
We were then informed that we could travel the rest of the fortress in search for the famed sword "Serithtial" which would rid the group of a certain "Crown of Fangs" which the queen of Korvosa wears upon her brow. Apparently it is made of some remains of the Dragon Kazavon . Having become the groups "Identifier" of magics through my innate arcane abilities I would say this is a fine find indeed!!! That and my new "toy" the Staff of Necromancy. Who would have thunk a little stick could do so much:) To attain "Serithtial" we did have to fight an aberration. So glad blasting power rocks!!! My skills with scorching beams of light are fantastic!!! At this point allow me to gloat. Buhahahhahahhahah!!! There. Done. I am sure I don't feel as good as the mighty paladin in our midst who retrieved the sword. Through arcane understandings I have seen that the sword also annihilates followers of Zon-Kuthon. Indeed I am going to enjoy seeing this fine piece of work in action.
Until I again can rest and send word, I implore you to listen my lord as this fascinating tale unfolds....
With the powers of the Arcane I can muster,
Your wildly destructive and curious servant,
Niko Muttilainen
Wizard at large:)
Sarenith 4708
I used to love to sit on the porch with my sister watching the twilight descend, listening to the afternoon give way to night. In the shadow of Scarwall even the memory has faded into the ever-present darkness. Not night, for that implies a following day which is absent from Scarwall castle. I’ve lost all track of the passage of time; we’ve simply kept moving from room to room, though my body reminds me I haven’t eaten in a while. We simply have had no time to stop.
After dispatching the dragon we explored the stables. It appeared that the dragon had made that area part of his lair. Once we finished we moved on to the further side of the courtyard and were immediately attacked by shadows. Yes, shadows. Damn things were difficult to hit, and they cost Adhemar his life. It’s fortunate that Sial has been so willing to restore to my companions their lives, though he claims that Adhemar now owes him a diamond. I’m sure Adhemar feels grateful that Sial didn’t ask for his soul to be given to Zon-Kuthon.
Further corridors revealed old barracks and storage rooms until we discovered an old ballroom and yet another … thing. I’m not certain how to describe it and really couldn’t try because almost as soon as we saw it, most of us started dancing. Yeah. Dancing. I felt like a fool. Apparently, it didn’t catch Destrel in its grip because she shot it in the eye rather neatly, but in doing so tipped her hand and the thing responded by injuring her badly. After a few fruitless attempts to convince Imp to dance, I found myself being rather forcefully grabbed by Lilia and edged ever closer to the wall. It wasn’t until she practically growled at me to stay put that I realized the compulsion was no longer on me and I readied my bow, such help as it could be. By then Destrel had done more damage, as had Sial. Eventually we were able to kill it, but several of us will be sore for weeks after dancing. We then searched the area and in the grand tradition of pirates everywhere, looted everything we found.
We rested briefly and carefully resumed our explorations and moved on to the second floor. Several types of manifestations appeared and were either dispatched or avoided as need would have it. We stepped into the hallway that appeared to be the upper floor of the courtyard and decided to explore the rooms behind the door to our north. It was heavy oak, solid, and ominous. Sial and Laori were praying as they saw it which unnerved me slightly. It took a while for me to unlock it and still it wouldn’t budge until Lilia threw her full strength into it. Lilia, who either knows not the meaning of fear or has a death wish, led the way as we moved slowly from room to room.
Most were empty, apparently administrative rooms, until we discovered a private alter to Zon-Kuthon. A mummy inhabited the room and attacked just as Adhemar and Lilia stepped into the room. Adhemar was hurt badly, Niko delightedly dropped a fireball into the room, and Laori danced into the fray. I didn’t get the chance to do much except check for traps and such in the room after the fighting was done.
I found a door behind the alter, and after taking a few minutes to figure out the locking mechanism, opened it. Sial paused in his chanting to look at me.
“You opened the Star Tower?” He asked me. “You opened the Holy of Holies?” I shrugged, hoping to appear unconcerned.
“Apparently.” I said. Sial was impressive at times but was also consistently condescending which annoyed me to no end.
“You should have locked it better.” Lilia pointed out, earning her another glare from Sial, and we all entered. The place had obviously not been opened in some time, though it had the look of being occupied. Such was evidently not the case at the present time, however, since all that was left of the tenant was a large pool of blood. Sial was deeply concerned which scared the hell out of me. It seems that the occupant of the tower was tasked in the role of Curate, which was to maintain the Star Spire of Zon-Kuthon. Basically, the Spire was built as part of the stitching imprisoning Rovagug. Without its Curate the Spire was no longer protected meaning that the prison was not as effective. In an effort to quell the nausea I felt at the prospect of even thinking of the possibility of his escape, I checked the rest of the floor. All other rooms on this level of the tower were empty, and two sets of stairs remained untried. We decided to go downstairs first.
The lower room had an organic feel, as if the room itself were breathing, and as we descended into it, a voice manifested a greeting. It was a quietly commanding voice, one that hides a great deal of power, though it was cordial as it asked which of us was to assume the role of curate. We immediately turned to Sial and Laori, the two most obvious choices. They were conversing rather intently, though quietly, and after a few minutes it was obvious that Sial had dominated as Laori bowed her head and gave in. I almost felt sorry for her. Not much, though.
Sial was invited personally by Zon-Kuthon to testify to Laori’s faith and installment as Curate. It was at this point that they left us. Sial bade us goodbye in turn. To Adhemar he entrusted the task of conveying the Midnight’s Teeth to the Temple of Zon-Kuthon, in return for waiving his debt to Sial for raising him and even handed him his Bone Tower in loan. His parting words to me were rather offensive, but somehow they amused me rather than angering me. Through all his pomp, arrogance, and bluster, Sial betrayed the fact that his true perception of us, colored through his own prejudices, was shallow and pale. Somehow it was a comforting thought.
After the clerics’ departure the telepathic entity informed us that we need not fear Zon-Kuthon’s retribution while in the tower. It seems the god wants only the return of the Teeth and would not hinder us in our quest for the sword. The entity then directed us to the shaft in the center of the room from which emanated an eerie glow and warned us to expect trouble from the Spawn who stole it. I was afraid of that.
So, into the shaft we went, and, boy, did I fall. It was a wonder that any of my bones were left whole. Lilia kindly held back to heal me while the others explored the room, though there was little here to see. Still somewhat sore, I followed the others through the twisting tunnels until they opened into a wider cavern. It was at this inopportune moment that the Spawn were alerted to our presence, mainly because Niko bounded forward to see what the things were. He paled as he realized what they were, warned us of their ability to rend, and unsuccessfully tried to get out of the way as one attacked him. My ability with a bow is lacking and I’m afraid I only scratched them, but Lilia, Imp, Destrel, and Niko took out three of them and the other fled back to its warren. Niko had entirely too much fun hurling fireballs. He was like a child with a brand-new toy.
Beyond the Spawn’s warrens the cavern opened wider. A small pier stretched into a chthonic lake and about ninety feet out, a light beckoned. Lilia, whose new armor granted her the ability to fly, started towards it, and, of course, something in the lake sensed our presence and woke up. Of all the things we’ve seen so far, and we’ve seen some gruesome ones, this was the ugliest. Whatever it was, it also proved difficult to kill, unsurprisingly. We did eventually wear it down, though Lilia took quite a beating, and it finally sank below the surface.
Lilia then retrieved the sword and it proved to be as beautiful as all the legends said, though she keeps complaining that it won't stop singing. We’ve all taken turns admiring it as we have taken a moment to rest and eat a ration or two before beginning our return journey upwards. As I sit jotting notes, I can’t help but wonder what’s next. More fool me.
Sial and Laori have left our company for now. After further exploration of Scarwall, we gained entry into the Star Tower thanks to Sionan's skill at getting into places that we shouldn't. A strange entity greeted us and explained that with the death of the former Curate, this tower, one of the stitches holding Rovagug in his prison was left weak and unguarded. A new curate would need to be named to rebuild the magic of the lock. Sial and Laori fell to bickering over who was the more faithful follower of Zon-Kuthon. They both looked to the rest of us to pick a side, but it is not my fight or place to decide who was the "better evil". Sial won the confrontation, and Laori for the first time looked generally scared. I felt bad for her, but would not intervene as she has never shown the hint of wanting redemption for her evil ways. The creature took Laori for judgment and invited Sial to come along and meet his God face to face.... Sial made some parting quips to us all- nothing we haven't heard before and left. The creature then told us that the sword, Serithtial lay in a cavern below the tower and that we were free to retrieve it if we could get past it's guardian- a Child of Rovagug. It is such a relief to be free from the company of those two that I will admit that Sial's spellcasting prowess will be missed.
Getting into the cavern involved jumping down into this strange blue lit shaft.. for once I landed on my feet but others did not fare so well with the jump. We were attacked by these strange monsters which Niko identified as Gugs shortly before the attempted to rip him limb from limb- I guess I need to explain to him why someone in robes doesn't charge ahead......
After defeating the Gugs, we saw a light shining across a lake on an island, but I also sensed a great evil stirring in the water. I tested out my new armor and began to fly out towards the light after warning everyone else to be ready. What came out of the water was a monstrous creature- part man, part worm, part I know what not. The fight with the creature left us beaten and bruised, but successful. When I reached the light I saw a sword. It's light grew brighter as I approached. I also heard triumphant singing coming from the sword, no one else claims to have heard it though. As I pulled the sword from the stone it was placed in, some of my wounds were healed by the sword itself as some intelligence in the sword let me know it's purpose. Strangely enough, the sword changed from a greatsword into a long sword. The singing has continued but I am getting used to it, and it is comforting after all that has happened. Serithtial seems pleased to be free of its prison and seems to understand my thoughts of what awaits in Korvosa, assuming we make it out of Scarwall alive. I thank Iomadae for this great gift and a chance to free Korvosa from the clutches of Kazavon and Ileosa.
Dear Governor,
Again, I implore you hear my words as we explore some more of this great Fortress! We encountered a Demi Lich in a chapel to Zon-Kuthon on the second floor. It was foul indeed. Lucky for us we had a quick thinking "locksmith" who disabled a probable death to us. Thanks also to our Cleric and Paladin. I have been providing arcane knowledge and sizable obliterating damage, but have been gaining experience and new knowledge into spells and order of things. We stumbled upon War hounds and a specter. Apparently this place is full of odds and ends that did not get destroyed as it should have. And a found Ju Ju Zombie in the tactical room out of all places... Yes we do find interesting magical Items , but it seems some days that our wits are being chiseled somehow. I am just hoping for more of an item I can use to become a powerful wizard like yourself. That would be such a gratifying experience. The experience isn't all unholy. We did find the remains of Sir Ekhard of Curmoria, General of Count Andori, in the wars versus Kazavon. May he rest in peace.
We seem to be clearing this castle in search of every possible asset we can find against the Queen of Korvosa. She seems to wearing a crown which seems to be influencing her in an evil way. Kazavon's remains seem to be responsible for this. I think Korvosa will be our final destination.
We are in the process of preparing to rest for the night. I am going to recharge and rethink some of the useful spells I may need for the days ahead. It seem I never have enough of those for the support or annihilation I seek.
The room as usual in this castle are small and it is hard to fit sometimes and help in the combat against the nasties that occupy space here.
I think for now I will take second place behind our fast and furious warriors and the seekers of the Divine. maybe they won't notice what i see sometime?
Once again With all due admiration,
Niko Muttilainen
Sarenith 4708
Finally!! We’ve left Scarwall for the day and retreated a short distance where Adhemar set up the Bone Tower that Sial left us. It’s about time; I’m starving! I’ve managed a short bath before dinner after helping Destrel dress such game as can be found here, and we’ll shortly be eating dinner though none among us will mention who’s doing the cooking. Perhaps after dinner I'll be able to start a letter to Farrell; lately, all I've had time for are these short journal entries. Still, they're enough to clear my head.
Horkin and Majenko were delighted to meet us as we crossed back over the bridge, but I’m no fool to think that Majenko is even slightly fond of me; he just wants fish. He’ll have to wait a little longer; I’m not sure eating fish from the lake out there is a good idea.
After we rode back up the neat levitating mist, we decided to back-track and get through some of the areas we’d left when we discovered the Star Tower. Most of the rooms were rather innocuous, old living quarters, and such, housing a few ghosts who learned the valuable lesson of not hanging around when two paladins and a priest are around, especially when one of said paladins is wielding an especially hurtful sword. I finally got to hit a few of those ghosts myself.
We ventured down another set of stairs and through a hallway. A set of double doors led us into an altar room. It was mostly dim, but I was able to discern the now-too-familiar statue of Zon-Kuthon just behind a raised obsidian altar. On the altar were heaps of ash that I suspected had once been bone, but I didn’t give it much thought since I was busy assessing the value of the gems studding the eye sockets and teeth of the skull before me. As I did so, it flared to life. Of course, when a Kuthite skull suddenly animates next to one, one’s first reaction is to hit it. This I promptly did, though it didn’t seem to do as much good as I’d intended. However, the others followed my lead and attacked it as well. Adhemar informed that it was a good thing we took it out before it got us. He stepped up and poured Holy Water all over it. The skull was a demilich which could have claimed our souls. As if there were not enough soul-sucking fiends in this place. There was a definite lessening in the feeling of oppressive evil as the thing died. I surmise that perhaps it was one of the anchors mentioned in Zellara’s poem.
After looting the room, we back-tracked again through the kennels and up a set of stairs that led to a further corridor and another door that appeared to lead into a tower. We chose to explore the tower first and were immediately set upon by fiery war-hounds. They unleashed by breathing fire and I was thankful that Old Thorval spent so much time coaching me in my youth to learn to dodge such attacks. At least I got lots of practice with my bow. It was a grueling fight, but we managed to kill them finally. We continued our explorations after that.
Soon after that we ran into what was apparently a zombie, and a loud one at that. His warhammer nearly deafened us as it hit. It hit Lilia first and hit her hard. I sneaked behind him and pierced his underarm with my rapier but didn’t do quite as much damage as I thought it would. He then jumped away and attacked Destrel. We kept up with him, though, and boxed him into a corner to take him down.
We continued climbing up, but didn’t find anything more in this tower, or at least nothing that moved, which was all that interested me. At this point everyone agreed it was time to stop for the day. The thundering hammer was especially annoying and I for one will hear the ringing for quite some time.
Dinner smells good. I’m going to pretend it’s not being served by someone in serious need of an undertaker.
Well, Scarwall still is a horrific place and I can't wait to be done here, but Serithtial is making it a bit easier to dispatch the restless undead here. We managed to destroy a demilich which was no small feat, but luckily we got the drop on it. The creature was another one of the anchors and the evil that overshadows this place has noticeably lessened some more. I think I can sense evil again without my brain wanting to leak out my ears.....
We have fallen back to rest up as the past day has been trying and has left our resources scant and depleted. Sionan keeps murmuring about being hungry as well.
As much danger as we are in, I can't but help worry about the friends and allies we left behind in Korvosa. Every day that passes is another day the Ileosa/Kazavon has to tighten it's foul grip on the city and inflict more torment and pain. Hopefully, we can clear this place out in another day or two and be on our way.
Sarenith 4708
We arrived in Kaer Maga this morning and have spent the day trading and haggling for new armor, weapons, and anything else we thought might help us restore balance to Korvosa. In the morning I must get a message to Orisini to co-ordinate our meeting and the muster of the allied forces who seek to overthrow Ileosa. Lilia hopes to convince the Shoanti to assist; I am not sure we’ll even be able to find them, much less convince them to join in our crusade, but we must try. The late night is passing into early morning but we are still many hours from dawn. Majenko is curled up snoring again, but my head is full of the events of the last few days and of the enormity of our recent accomplishments.
On the morning of our last day in Scarwall each one of us awoke with the same feeling of urgency. Nothing needed to be said – we just knew that we had to finish lifting the curse or die trying. We still needed to destroy the two remaining anchors and the spirit chained to them. This we did – after many tortuous hours of heavy fighting. We scoured the heights and must have emptied the castle of gargoyles (I counted at least twelve) and in the process spitted (and trod on) a few annoying imps. The gargoyles batted me around like a toy and I believe I have finally understood what Lilia meant about being “squishy”.
Before meeting the gargoyles, we had encountered and defeated a skeleton warrior and two greater shadows. The warrior was bereft of the circlet that bound and controlled him. Later we found his circlet in the tower that we surmise had once been Kazavon’s lair. After defeating the ashmede, bone, and bearded devils inside the tower, we left the circlet in the hall in which we’d found the warrior. I hope he found his rest at last.
As soon as we had defeated the ashmede the palpable fear that had enveloped the place lifted. We had defeated the last spirit anchor; all that remained was the remove the chained spirit bound to it to lift the curse. This we did, and as the spirit howled and spiraled away into nothing even the shadows disappeared. I could swear I heard even the building sigh as the menace slipped away and the familiar form of Zellara appeared before us. Her spirit smiled as it returned to her Harrow Deck, and another figure appeared before us and spoke.
“You. You have done a great thing today….” His words rang in my ears as it slowly sank into my head what we had accomplished. The Elders and bards of my tribe would sing of it for decades were they to know of my part in it, though I hope, perhaps in vain, that they never learn of it. Scarwall’s curse is gone, and what is left for it is anyone’s guess. Though Laori has gone to become the new Curate of the Star Tower, I fear the entire structure is going to ruin, and even the Tower itself is weakening. The thought is discomfiting, but I can only focus on the task at hand and must leave the chaining of gods to those who are strong enough to do so.
Tomorrow I’ll visit a few inns and taverns to see if there’s any current scuttlebutt on the situation in Korvosa. Ah, gossip. One of the first things I learned about gossip in any city is where to find it. Tomorrow I’m getting a haircut.
I think I shall take Majenko with me to keep him out of trouble.
Scarwall has been cleansed of the pervading evil that was set into it's very stones. While I am glad that we were successful, my thoughts turn back to what awaits us in Korvosa and our confrontation with the Queen. For too long, she has been left to her plans. I can only hope that our friends are well and safe.
As we finish resupplying, it is now time to plan to take back our home. We need to meet up with Vencarlo and Neolandis, as well as find the Shaonti. It would not do to have uncontrolled armies marching on the city haphazardly without guidance, leadership, and a plan of action. At the very least, the forces gathered will at least cause a distraction hopefully allowing us to gain a quick and quiet entrance into the city to strike directly at the Queen's forces.
My friends keep looking to me for plans, and I feel that I am in over my head here, but with the grace and wisdom of the Gods we may yet be successful.
2 Erastus 4708
Zellara’s house is perhaps slightly mustier than when we left it, but it’s a welcome haven in the middle of Korvosa. I hope it can stay that way. In about an hour I’ll be leaving here to, well, to create a disturbance and begin a journey on a course I’d never imagined.
We’ve finally found and spoken to everyone – many more than we expected – who seek the death of the queen. In our meeting with the Shoanti they demanded the return of their ancient lands – in other words, Korvosa. Lilia managed to placate them by offering to allow them to re-instate their guardianship of the ancient pyramid that became Korvosa. I think that’s wise. Who better to guard a place than those who truly know it’s secrets and the effects they can have on the world?
Today we will set things in motion. We’ve been given a run-down of events that have occurred in Korvosa since we’ve been gone. There’s a new “hero” in the city (Orisini seemed particularly affronted), rumors of a black dragon, rumors of the Red Mantis at work in the streets, and more frequent sightings of devils in the area. Even the Hellknights are concerned. We’ve decided to deal with each threat methodically and with care. Well, more care than usual. First, we shall try to smoke out this new “hero” and find out what his real intentions are. I’ve agreed to take up the new mantle entrusted to me and arrange a diversion to try to bring him out into the open. It’s probably a long shot, but I want to try. Perhaps we shall have the chance to speak “hero” to “hero”.
We have made it back to Korvosa, the city is truly suffering under the boot of a tyrant. We met with Kroft and the other rebels and were given a list of matters that needed our attention in order to give the rebellion a chance at success. Our first move will be to draw out this "hero" running around Korvosa. Sionan has volunteered to take of this with the rest of us waiting nearby just in case. While Zellara's house remains safe, for this operation we are using my parent's house as a hiding spot as this will leave Zellara's as a bolt hole.
Our band has increased by one it seems. Little Brianna Soldato has been touched by the spirit of Iomedae. While meeting with the Shoanti, her presence was announced to his by Trinia. After much thought and prayer I agreed that she could come with us (she was going to go no matter what I think), as at least this way I can keep an eye on her and try to keep her out of harm's way. While she is full of zeal, she is still a little girl. When we got back to Korvosa, I left her in the care of her uncle, Grau. He was less than pleased over her presence. I told Brianna that she could be of more use helping coordinate between the rebels, and acting as a messenger and unnoticeable agent. Iomedae, keep her safe.
Well I survived another harrowing trip. From hungry undead to Bloatmages of Kaer Maga to teleports. Now I am back home in Korvosa and yet the place is not the same. There is an oppressive stench in the air as the bipeds have all been cowed by this so call ruler they have, serves them right in a sense. Rulership determined by birth or marriage is absurd, give my a good contest of dominance any day.
Anyways, Sionan has tasked me with a noble quest. Protect the young girl, Brianna, as she delivers messages and the like for this rebellion my friends are putting together. I know she is doing this to keep me out of harms way, and bless her heart I know she is right, but it also gives me time to do what needs to be done, bring the greatest army that they tend to keep forgetting, my dedicated brother and sisters of the the scale and sting.
What is even better Brianna knows we are needed as well and has found a family friend of her mother, whom is a silversmith! The man is an artisan he has already crafted me a sting cover and had claw attachments placed upon me. He is evens placing his services together for our cause! I shall endeavor to get a constant guard set on his house night and day, for he will be arming my army with as much haste as can muster, bless his human heart.
Now all I need is some armor... Brianna do you have a family friend who works in mithril?
Dear Governor,
Well, after a long while of no correspondence (please accept my apology for the long delay , Rest was necessary after the serious engagements at castle Scarwall), my new friends and allies have requested me to take them to their home of Korvosa. What a splendidly large settlement this is indeed.
One of the things with studying magic is that sometimes it tends to take a mind of its own. My new teleport skills worked for initial entrance to the city, but upon the return trip it redirected myself and a small group of my new allies to an edge garrison of Lastwall. Seriously, my lord someone needs to clean the ugly "Orc" mess there. I promise to do so for my country when my assistance is no longer required at Korvosa.
So, how I understand from the little that has been explained to me is that the ruling party has made deals with "demonic" powers and the city is patrolled by albeit women in armor, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but whoever has ordered this is a sick sadistic individual to have razors put into the helmets to mar these lovely faces... Again so many women, so little time. We ended up engaging these "lovelies" when we strolled in and they made the error to order the burning of civilian homes.. how atrocious.... "our" group I think succeed in explaining to them why that was indeed a very naughty decision. Such zeal in the paladins, and the quick skill with the many distribution of arrows by our ranger, our "infiltrator" decoyed well, and our "healer made sure that any pain was dealt with and returned 5 fold. I must remember to commend my friends for a well oiled determined battle, amongst my remembering how to "properly" cast my spells. On second thought maybe a few ales should let them know my gratitude...
Now you may perhaps be disappointed with me in this one. I forgotten your words for a moment when I first got to be amongst my new friends to check all enchanted items they have. I could kick myself for not doing so. This absent mindedness almost cost us our lives... We had an encounter with a local nobility from the House of Arkona, a certain
Glorio Arkona, who we (myself because everyone else had known) find out was arcana gifted creature known as Rakshasa. Apparently also there were more than one. We started discussion more or less diplomatically, but then it turned rather nefarious when he wished us to assist him in ascending the throne of Korvosa and further knowing my whereabouts and my doings for the last 6 months...I suspected a spy in our midst, but upon his healthy demise, by our paladin, which I personally was grateful for because he was prepared it seems as far as personel and arcane strength, that a certain gem on one of the friend's rings and many at the Arcona residence smashed spontaneously. This individual followed all of our actions and knew practically everything we did. What a vilely paranoid self centered righteous bastard!!!!! There was one of these Rakshasa individuals who quickly fled after we enabled defeat of House Arkona. Looking at everyone else who seemed spent with the battle, I fired a very strong Scorching Ray to prevent further undoings... and dropped him promptly... My powers seriously have increased my lord as you have informed me with experience and training. I am now able to lay waste to groups with fire and focus on individuals with a beam from my finger. I shall try to contain my thirst for more like a fish who has suddenly been deposited in a larger lake, or an ant that has just discovered a larger deposit of sugar....No one escapes Niko's reach!!!! I think I will write some serious fiction when we are done here about a traveler through time who uses such a beam to kill instead of a common sword. Now to come up with a name for such a hero... hmmmmm maybe Buchner Rogerson.. maybe not. Too wordy... something shorter.. will have to sleep on this.
I thank you humbly my lord for teaching me as intently as you have all these years. Perhaps when this is all over , whoever will inherit the crown of Korvosa can perhaps make an alliance with Lastwall? Who knows how these non-Lastwallians think.... I shall just try to collect as much intelligence on these people as possible. It could come useful in the future. Although when the dust settles I would like to have a residence here so I could come visit those that allowed me to continue my arcane research. Might be nice along with a wine cellar. They say magic comes better to mind with a small amount of smooth drink to the lips... Doesn't hurt to ask....
After our experiences in the Cinderlands and Scarwall, facing a squad of Gray Maidens was hardly a problem. They were on patrol in the usual formation so I used the wand of web to great effect. Only two escaped the net, leaving the others to struggle free. While they were so engaged, I lobbed a flask of Alchemist’s Fire neatly into the center of it. The two who were free swung at me and missed. In less than a few minutes I was able to dispatch all but one whom I left to go free. I could hear the cries of the populace around me, and as the rest of the company approached I slipped through the crowd, figuring to lose myself in it. I ran for a few blocks and then slipped into a doorway to gauge the situation. There was smoke rising from the area I’d just left.
I did the only thing I could think of and used my new cloak to bring me closer to the scene in a hurry. While it wasn’t on the doorstep, it was still close enough for me to realize that the entire company of twenty or so Gray Maidens was now engaged – with my companions. So, of course, I joined the fray. We were able to take them all down, though Destrel was fiercely injured. I was told later that after the company commander had killed the Maiden I’d let go, the order was given to burn every other house. It was unnerving. I’ve become so used to the noble efforts of my companions that I’d almost forgotten about the spite and deceitfulness of some humans.
We rested for a bit after getting back to the house, but were summoned to a meeting by Glorio Arkona. None of us were enthusiastic about seeing him again, but we went. We shadow-walked to Old Korvosa (I’m really enjoying the fact that we have a wizard among us) and were followed to the courtyard (the elephant looked smaller in daylight). Arkona was expecting us. In fact, he gave us an entire run-down of our activities since leaving Korvosa. From the looks on the faces of my companions I could see that they were as disconcerted as I was.
Without further ado Arkona requested that we back him in his bid to claim the throne of Korvosa. While his influence over Old Korvosa had certainly brought peace, it was the type of peace where fear is the dominant factor. We would be replacing one tyrant with another, a fact he knew we understood. The conversation was going smoothly and I actually thought he was going to allow us to leave in spite of our disagreements when he attacked.
I’m afraid I was hardly as effective in this fight as in the last one. I barely scratched the rakshasa I managed to hit and only just dodged out of his way. He spoke some word I didn’t quite catch and the elephant trumpeted to life. I managed to assist Niko (who is really amazingly good with fireballs) in taking out the human mercenaries while the others did their best with the rakshasas and the elephant. Soon there was only Arkona and two of the rakshasas left when the two suddenly disappeared. That was not well for Glorio, though, since we simply lobbed everything at our only remaining visible target and let Niko deal with the other two. I wasn’t able to do much more than try to hit him with a wand of enervation, but blew five charges without managing to clear his resistance to magic. Imp and Lilia eventually put him down, though Imp delivered the killing blow. Niko managed to overcome the remaining rakshasas with a fire ray to the back. I’m seriously worried about that boy’s pyromaniacal tendencies.
Of course the next thing to do was clear (i.e. raid and loot) the house for evidence of Arkona’s misdeeds (or of anyone else’s, really). We finally found it although I took ton of damage from a spell that tried to prevent me from entering the room. I’ve no wish to repeat the experience. We also found what Niko believes is the secret of Arkona's continued observance of us, a type of scrying-stone, but he says he'll have to do a bit more research. Once we cleared out the house, Lilia found Arkona’s former lieutenant and charged him with taking care of Old Korvosa in the interim. Her judicious choice of words convinced him that she was not someone he wanted to cross so he agreed. We shadow-walked back into Korvosa.
It hadn’t been two hours since we arrived back at Zellara’s when Majenko showed up. I was actually glad to see him; life seemed less exciting without his presence. He has been quite the diplomat lately, and has procured a meeting with another Korvosan of some importance – a dragon. I wondered about all the rumors lately and kept my mouth shut. Lilia and I decided to go. Majenko gave us instructions and left. I think his new duties suit him, but I miss him. Funny how annoying someone can be until he’s no longer around.
The storm blew up from the over the Inner Sea as the twilight faded. The thunder is so intense that I can feel it from the window next to which I’m sitting. Each flash of lightning throws Korvosa into a sharp, surreal bas-relief. Our accomplishments of the last few days seem insignificant compared to the task ahead.
We have exposed and defeated Trifaccia, the false hero, who turned out to be an efreeti. (He turned Niko into a pig temporarily. I think that amused Lilia slightly.) The black dragon has been defeated. Sabine Merrin has turned away from her queen and her eyes burn when she speaks of the woman she thought she knew. She is now with us in hiding. The resistance is growing; Korvosa’s people are awakening to the fact that they are strong. Yet in all of this it is understood that the defeat of the queen falls on our shoulders – certainly on Lilia’s, as it is she who holds Seritihiel. It has now come to it.
Tomorrow is the beginning of the end; we shall enter the castle. How it will end is anyone’s wager, but we shall see it through or die. Though we knew it would eventually come to this, I cannot help but sense in myself a strange disquiet. The rain on the window plays odd tricks with the reflections from the candles and more than once I could swear to Pharasma I’ve seen my sister’s face. Her presence is with me like a chill tonight and her voice echoes on the wind - perhaps as a warning, or perhaps as a welcoming. I know not.
Tomorrow I shall find out.
I fear I have been remiss in chronicling our further efforts. I don’t feel like I have had a chance to catch my breath in recent days, never mind trying to find time to write down my thoughts.
Thankfully, most of our dear allies were alive and well when we returned to the city, but they did have a laundry list of tasks that needed to get down in order to overthrow the Queen. There was a fake hero running around “defending” the people from the rebel scum in the name of the Queen. Some hero, he was actually an efreet serving the Queen. Sabina Merrin, head of the Grey Maidens joined us shortly after our return to the city was announced by a large brawl involving us and several squads of Grey Maidens. She seems truly repentant of her past actions and has aided us greatly.
I am still trying to figure out why I was nominated for the promotion that several people seem to want to hand me. Have they all gone mad? Neolandus and the others want me to become Queen when all is said and done. Seriously? I am sure that there are much better options than me around. I have accepted this after much prayer and counsel with Iomedae. I can only hope to live up to everyone’s expectations. The only part of this that is still troubling is the matter of succession. To ensure succession I have to produce an heir. That means getting married. While I am not opposed to the idea, the thought of finding someone that I loved as much of Andros is troubling. How do I give my heart again when for a long time it was buried. In addition, how can I know that the person loves me and not my position? I will leave the matter in Iomedae’s hands.
We managed to infiltrate the castle and started “evicting” the residents. A powerful devil almost killed Sionan. Luckily, Adhemar risked live and limb to breath life back into her body. Thank God. She followed me up onto the roof where the devil was and almost died because of it. Poor Horkin did not survive the battle. Destral has been despondent over the loss of her beloved companion.
We managed to get the door open to our allies while cleaning up the rest of the castle’s defenders. Sabina led the few former Grey Maidens in to find and kill Torgormor. His cries are still echoing in the castle. As we catch our breath, we are preparing to explore the lower levels of the castle to hopefully find any trace of our dear friend Dhavti and find the body of the ghost in the attic. What horrors still await us in this place?
Erastus 4708
I sit in the stillness of third watch with a peace I’ve not felt for many moons. We have returned to the house of Zellara. It still seems to be the safest place for us right now. Lilia, Imp, and Adhemar retired to their rooms long ago. Niko has fallen asleep over his books, Destrel is asleep nearby (honestly, I don’t know how she manages to do that), and my beloved sister, Fea, has gone into meditation to rest. I’m too astonished by the current turn of events to rest, though I realize we must all be alert for our last journey together tomorrow, our last bid to defeat the queen.
We sneaked into the castle as planned, but things went downhill fast. Thanks to the quickness and bravery of Adhemar, I’m still alive, but it was a close thing. I had followed Lilia to the roof and suddenly something knocked me off my feet and all I could see were shades of grey. The others have told me that the devil who hit me appeared out of nothing and suddenly I was dead. Well, mostly. All I remember is waking up to see Adhemar peering worriedly at me and bleeding profusely from a cut over his eye. He had risked life and limb to get to me and bring me back.
I don’t remember much of that day. As a matter of fact most of our time in the castle has gone by in a blur and I’m only now catching up with it. We simply didn’t have much time to stop. (I had flashbacks of Scarwall a few times.) I know we rested at least once, holed up in what we hoped was the safest room in the castle at that point, a closet smelling strongly of vinegar.
At various points we fought Red Mantis assassins, Grey Maidens, devils, imps, and a few things I didn’t even get to see. (Being mostly dead will do that to you.) There seemed to be more devils in Castle Korvosa than in Hell, and the proof we found of the queen’s involvement, a contract between her and the devils of Asmodeus, explained why. After a thoroughly annoying and quite disturbing fight with Togomor’s minions (I really hate the ethereal plane), we picked a fight with some Grey Maidens while Niko hurled fireballs at the gate to get everyone’s attention.
While we were fighting inside the castle, others were fighting elsewhere in the city. We were met at the gate by Commander Kroft, Sabina Merrin, and a brigade of former Gray Maidens. We left Togomor to them and ventured back into the castle to clear the remaining rooms and try to find Dhatri and the body of a ghost we’d met the night before. On our way back inside Lilia and I noticed a suspiciously familiar tiny figure clinging to the back of a copper dragon that was diving into the grounds of the Academae. We glanced at each other and kept going in a I-won’t-mention-this-if-you-won’t kind of manner.
We did find Dhatri, his body hideously tortured and powering a disturbing contraption that attacked until Lilia pulled his body from it. We wrapped him in a cloak and left him in a quiet corner until we could retrieve his body later. Further exploration led us to Togomor’s quarters and a kitchen inhabited by yet more devils. The rest of us let the paladins gang up on them while we attacked from a distance. They were soon dispatched and we continued on the first floor. I found a door leading deeper into the Castle, into what was quite likely the original pyramid that had once stood on that location. On that level we found evidence of more of the queen’s recent actions and the body we sought.
We brought the body back to the gentleman whose ghost inhabited an upper floor. He was the brother of the King and last of the Arabasti line. He thanked us and offered us one last gift.
As we watched, Zellara’s Harrow deck floated from Adhemar’s bag into the air around the ghost and encircled his head. The deck glowed as he infused it with a magic I’ve never seen or even heard of and the very souls of the Korvosan kings merged with the deck. We were to choose up to four cards. Some contained good fates; others bad, depending upon the nature of the soul inhabiting it. Adhemar bravely chose three which benefited him and me to an extent (one of his choices extended an extra card to a friend) and, I believe, will serve him well. My “extra” card gave me two visions – one true, the other false. I will say only that they involved the two most beloved people in my life and both were heart-wrenching, but they aided me greatly. I chose to draw two cards. One was the gift of a wish; the other was the gift of a re-forged weapon. What to wish for? The conditions were specific, and they included resurrection. It was agony. I never wanted anything more in my life but to bring back my sister, but what if she didn’t want to come back? Surely, she would have gone on, finding her Brightness somewhere along Pharasma’s road. I waited to find out the fate of the others, but my head was whirling with hope and anguish and I heard but a little of what their cards contained. Apparently, Niko is now a were-bear and has some kind of demonic disease. Of all the party he fared the worst, but is actually quite cheerful about it, bless him. He doesn’t seem to be dismayed easily, to be sure. Finally, after considering the visions I entreated Adhemar to come with me to the grave of my sister. I wished to speak to her before I attempted to bring her back, and I knew he had the ability to allow me to do that. Her answers to my questions were cryptic, but revealing and they told me enough to convince me to use my wish to resurrect her.
I’m still dazed. She’s here, she’s whole, and my life, though dramatically changed, is complete again. Indeed, it is richer. Had I not chosen to pursue the slave ship, I’d never have met Farrell or the allies I’ve met here in Korvosa. There are still duties I must now fulfill here, as I’ve given my word to Orisini, but I’ll take Fea home first.
Speaking of duties… it seems Korvosa is now without a ruling monarch (or, at least, soon will be). Neolandus has proposed to the noble Houses that Lilia take the throne. (This is, of course, assuming she lives through our attempt to defeat the queen.) I must admit, she is capable. The miracle pulled off by her want-to-be page, Brianna, however, swayed the argument not a little. In Castle Korvosa remained a chapel devoted to Aroden. For slightly more than a century it has been untouched, unused, except as a shrine to memory. Brianna knelt at the alter and prayed. As she did so, the stained glass symbols and holy figures began to change. Before our eyes the chapel had been transformed into a Temple devoted to Iomedae, the Inheritor, and Lilia’s chosen goddess. It was certainly beautiful.
The talk soon turned to politics, and, though I listened carefully, it bored me.
Lilia talked long into the afternoon with Neolandus and while Adhemar took care of needed duties at the Vaults, I spent time with Fea expounding on all that had happened since she’d died. I spent the better part of an hour justifying my decision to bring her back until she stopped me and thanked me for doing so. While we continue the last of our journey tomorrow, Fea will be in the care of Vencarlo Orisini, one of the few I trust in the city. He’s an old charmer, and it will do her well to remember the good in humans. Too long has the Ekujae tribe been hunted, haunted, and tormented by the humans of the Aspis Consortium (though the humans of Garund tend to tolerate us).
I must rest. There is still much to do, and there is still the matter of the queen. Her terrorization and manipulation of Korvosa must end, and that is in our hands now.
The newly changed temple Iomedae is comforting. Brianna somehow took a dusty and forgotten temple to Aroden and changed it just by praying. I am still in awe and a state of bliss by the events. I had the feeling something strange was going to happen. Neolandis and I decided to talk over matters in the temple as it would be relatively quiet and semi-private. When various nobles and dear friends wandered in I know someone momentous was to happen. Everyone still seems stunned by what happened. Support for Neolandis' grand idea to instill me as Queen seems to be growing. I have accepted what is being asked of me, but I still don't like it. I can face down a dragon or the worst devil in hell without blinking, but the thought of being Queen makes me want to throw up still.....
"Iomedae,
Please grant us victory against the Queen. I ask not for myself, but for the people of Korvosa. They have suffered enough without being sacrificed to Ileosa's dreams of power. I will gladly give my life to defend my countrymen, and will not hesitate when the time comes. I offer you all that I am, and my life if need be, to protect the people of Korvosa. I thank you for the miracle I witnessed as it has given me further strength and resolve to see this through to the end no matter what. I humbly ask for your strength and grace to be with me in the final battle"
Dear Your Grace Governor of Lastwall,
This will probably be my last message to you as many events have transpired and I have need to contemplate for a while.
The great Rebellion had begun! We had planned and negotiated and discussed the details of how the re establishment of Korvosa was to transcribe and finally it came to be. My new found powers which allowed for extensive travel by arcane means helped a lot. We approached the castle. We then made our way inside and encountered many obstacles and queen aids which were forced to consider us enemies. For a long while we thought they would make short work of us , but fighting together as a unit and arcane help in speeding things along worked greatly and expedited the process. The fact that we had 2 Paladins, a Cleric, an expert in Lock and Trap handling, and a Ranger , and of course yours truly worked as an ideal infiltration company. We slowly but surely defeated components of the devious nature of things left to stall us and destroy us.
One of two , in my opinion grandest events was the confrontation of Togomor, a wizard, who the queen of Korvosa had placed as a replacement to Seneschal Neolandus. What a frightfully obese and disgusting creature. He had his familiar, Pudgyknuckles, an imp,to which he kept referring for assistance until the free people of Korvosa assisted us in his final demise. Was nice of him to leave his spellbook in his chambers where I took hold and have learned many secrets within which were in the planning stages for a future Korvosa. We valiantly fought a creation of his, a golum, with a chained body of a dead friend of the group I fought with. How despicable.
Having found the bones of a certain Venster Arabasti,a tiefling, who according to his own confession, helped the queen by murdering the former king of the land, we were each enchanted by gifts of a magical nature from a Harrow Deck, which became a somewhat Deck of Many Things.
We had found Queen Ileosa's pact with devils for the control of Korvosa. How frightening and at the same time very disheartening. It seems this land is plagued with individuals who will stop at nothing for total dominance.
We rested for a while after a grueling ordeal of cleaning out the castle of any other vileness. This gave me a chance to read Togomor's spellbook which had additions to my own spells but also notes on the queen's plans and where they were occurring.
We teleported to The Sunken Queen, which was a leftover location apparently from the days of the Runelords, specifically, Sorshen, Runelord of Lust. We found the entrance under much water. We fought many
more devils.
Finally on the top floor we found the queen herself immersed in blood. Will these people ever stop causing me to really acquire a sour distaste for them? She arose from her deep pool along with devils and and dread wraiths. The battle was impossible. Wondered when we would finally overcome. Thank goodness for Lilia Calvinus, who managed to finally slay the queen and have her drop down a long tunnel and have our Cleric Adhemar throw divine fire at her. Just when we thought it was over, the Crown of Fangs magically was flung into the bloody pool and we felt the emergence of deathly draconic features, namely Kazavon’s,in nature. Lilia, our main Paladin of Iomedae, thrust the legendary sword, Serithtial, we found in Castle Scarwall into the wretched creature and that caused the final end to things.
We returned to Korvosa as heroes. The noble families, and the people of the plains , the Shoanti, and my cohorts rejoiced as Lilia Calvinus, Paladin of Iomedae, was made Queen of Korvosa. There was much rejoicing for the new establishment. Cleric Adhemar of Abadar, went on to continue his divine duties as Grand Banker of the church of Abadar. Destrel Grange, the Ranger , went on with her duties with the Sable Company in Korvosa. Sionan En Rois, an elf from Mwangi, and our trap expert, continued studies under Vencarlo Orisini, a resident expert swordmaster. Imperia our other Paladin and attache to Adhemar, continued in her duties.
As for me , I am in a annoyed state. I have been trained and appreciative of Lastwall. I can't wait to get back and share my new knowledge on things. On the other hand the experiences I have had has left me in a state of transit. Yes the lively band of travelers which saved my life has gotten my services and I think I have repayed them for saving my life from the clutches of the Orcs so long ago. At the same time, I do have the feeling that I am an outsider and that I will never truly weave myself into Korvosan traditions. I have made friends but at the same time events have darkened my soul. I have changed my outlook on things. I wish to travel around and understand life in the different provinces in more detail and improve my arcane knowledge so as to better understand how to be the conductor of the Arcane Arts.
So I bid you, Fine Governor, farewell, until such time as my soul feels released from the contempt for things experienced and at the same time satisfied with the acquisition of the knowledge I would need to understand that what needs to be focused.
Your Humble Yet Devastating Learned One,
Niko Muttilainen
Wizard Greater at Large
Away from home and in search of Sanity amongst the Chaos
I am finally free of all of the courtiers, nobles, and hangers-on asking for my attention. I have hardly been installed as Queen of Korvosa and already I am being asked to consider forcibly bringing Magnimar back under "the protective wing of Korvosa". I pray for wisdom to navigate the dark waters ahead of me.
While I don't regret any of my actions, rebellion is never a matter to be taken lightly. While I am so proud of my countrymen for standing up to an evil tyrant, we need time to heal and reflect before embarking on aggressive acts. My companions and I also need time to heal and soothe our souls. The horrors we witnessed and faced will haunt us for the rest of our lives I think.
I already see my close band of companions starting to drift apart. Poor Nico was afflicted with several diseases from the Deck of Many Things we were handed. Luckily, Adhemar talked to him because my only option as Queen would be to banish him before he accidentally spread his afflictions through the city. I value Nico as a friend, and hope that he gets the healing he needs and can be a welcome guest in the city he helped to free. Adhemar's duties as Archbanker are keeping him busy. Destral is tasked with rebuilding the Sable Company and has at least a generations worth of work in front of her. Sionan, well hopefully she will let me know if I mess up to badly, but I know she is still uncomfortable here and with humans in general.
I pray for the wisdom to be a just and fair ruler so that I can heal this city of its' wounds, asking nothing for myself. By the Gods, may this be so.
7 Arodus 4708
Dear Farrellon,
Korvosa is free. I’m still slightly amazed to be able to go through a whole day without getting into some kind of fight for my life. Fea has hidden my armor somewhere, and I feel half-naked without it. I still carry my rapiers, though, both the original blade and the nifty new one that looks like a fan. (I had Adhemar exorcise and bless that before I used it. Just in case.)
Ileosa is dead and Lilia is now Queen of Korvosa. I don’t think she can believe it, either, though I think she eventually knew it was expected of her. She should be a capable queen. She’ll have Neolandus’s advice (or his polite disagreement) when needed. I’m guessing the city’s hero, Blackjack, will probably be equally supportive.
I’m getting ahead of myself again, sorry. When I last wrote you, I think, we hadn’t even approached the castle, much less Ileosa. It’s been a long month, and so much has happened that I’m still making sense of it all. During the course of clearing out the castle, I was gifted a wish spell. I used it to resurrect my sister, Fea. We are now living in Old Korvosa near the remains of Vencarlo’s former academy. It’s being re-built and, for now, I’ll be teaching there while things settle down though I daresay there’s still much I can learn. Fea has bought premises and a workshop to continue our jewelry profession, but we’re still getting it into a semblance of order. She wants to visit Absalom as well. Neither of us feel as if we can go home again. Not yet, anyway. I personally have a promise to keep to Korvosa and to Vencarlo, so I won’t be able to leave it for long. I am his heir (of sorts) and have still a great deal to learn.
I digress. We were met at the castle by Cressida Kroft, the Korvosan Guard, Sabina Merrin, and quite a few former Gray Maidens who took care of what we did not. Later, we met with Neolandus and the nobles of Korvosa before finally retreating to our place of safety to rest before taking on the queen. During that meeting Neolandus proposed to the nobles of Korvosa that they accept Lilia as their new queen. I’m not sure Lilia was quite sold on the idea, but she wasn’t given much choice. Frankly, I don’t think she expected to survive to take that responsibility.
The next day we set out to find the Sunken Queen, as it is known here, formerly a Thassilonian fortress, now a ruin sunken into the mushfens not far from the Green Reef. Immediate flashbacks of the Jeggare came to my mind as I realized we were less prepared to deal with this terrain than we were the river bottom. At least Destrel and I know how to swim. I found the entrance, but it was a few fathoms below the surface – did any of us remember to bring potions of water-breathing?
Well, we got through it in spite of running into boggards and devilfish and I was relieved and delighted to find the surface. We searched the entire pyramid found the royal treasury, as well as a strange and beautiful, yet repulsive gemstone which nobody would touch, an extremely nauseating vat of blood with incomplete simulacrum (which we destroyed), and, finally, at the top of the pyramid where lay the Everdawn Pool, the queen.
She sent her minions first, a few erinyes, simulacrums, wraiths, then rose out of the Pool like a devil who just found out he’d been banished from Hell. Adhemar had had the foresight to have death ward cast on all of us so the wraiths really weren’t much of a problem. The rest of us dealt with her minions as Lilia fought with the queen. Ileosa’s bardic skills had been enhanced by the Crown of Fangs and we were hard put to resist. It got tricky for a moment as the queen tried to suggest to Destrel that Lilia made a better target, but between her now intelligent bow and Adhemar’s summoned earth elemental, Destrel was effectively contained. The queen fought tooth and nail, casting spells while using her dancing rapier to good effect (guess who has it now?), but she was no match for Serithial. The hatred in the queen’s face soon changed to that of fear as she realized she was nearing the very death she has been working so hard to avoid. We knew she’d try to flee, and as Lilia made one last desperate lunge with Serithial, she did – but tripped and fell into the lower rooms. When we neither saw nor heard movement from below, we knew she was dying or possibly even dead, but Adhemar threw down a flame strike just to make sure. She was. We checked. Then the real fun happened.
To fuel her quest for immortality Ileosa had been using the Everdawn Pool– an artifact created by the Runelord Sorshen in the ancient days when the nation Eurythnia was at its height. As Ileosa died the Crown deserted her and the Fangs tried to siphon the power of the Pool into it. It shook and writhed as it tried to reform the dragon, a talon here, a wing there, and the room shook as a growing roar reached deafening levels. Chains of lightning crackled as the form of the dragon grew; most of us stood frozen and stunned by the noise, but Lilia did the only thing she could think of and plunged Serithial into the morass. That was, fortunately, exactly the right thing to do. The form exploded into a bloody mess that was immediately consumed into a blinding radiance that, I’m told, faded just as quickly. I say blinding, because it was so for me as the world quickly vanished into darkness. I heard the clang as Lilia shattered the Crown and destroyed its further use, though the inert Fangs were still left whole. Adhemar gathered them up, stowing them in his backpack, and our work was finally done.
I don’t remember much of the trip back to Korvosa (other than tripping over almost everything until Lilia restored my eyesight). I do remember the crowds that greeted us; it looked as though the whole city turned was at the gates. I remember wondering how in the world they knew we were coming. Well, however, they knew, Neolandus was there, waiting to intercept us and accompany us and the honor guard to the palace. An honor guard? Really? I wondered if he was trying to impress upon Lilia the immensity of her new duties to the city and felt that he was going a bit overboard. Lilia quite knew what was expected of her. I’d heard her praying many times on our way back to Korvosa.
There was quite a bit of ceremony over the next few days, including Lilia’s coronation, but Korvosa quickly turned to the practical as well. The city is in a state of transition, rebuilding and repairing, yet healing from long-suffered wounds. Lilia is wrapped up in matters of state and I fear that she has a long journey ahead of her. The noble Houses of Korvosa have been clamoring for her attention and I know she has reservations about many of them. I’ve got suspicions of my own about a few of them and I still wonder if all of Korvosa’s devils have yet found their way back to Hell. Destrel has her work cut out for her in bringing the Sable Company back to its former glory, but she’ll definitely do her job well. I only hope that she listens to Orisini once in a while and learns to relax from time to time. Adhemar and Imperia have been traveling throughout the city offering hope, healing, or a helping hand wherever it’s been needed. I see the respect accorded them by other members of the church and wonder where their paths are leading them. In a few days Adhemar and I will travel to Nidal to return the Fangs of Kazavon to Sial. I know Lilia does not wish it, but it must be done, or Adhemar will never be able to rest. Besides, she too gave her word and would never break a promise. Niko will go with us and from thence to Absalom to rid himself of the unfortunate circumstances dealt to him from the Deck of Many Things. He is quite cheerful and acts as though each new thing is merely an interesting experience, but I see in his eyes the pains he goes through. I wish him well.
So, that brings us back to the beginning of this letter, I think. Though I hope to travel home again some day, my place is here for now. It seems odd that all of our new duties are pulling us in different directions. I know we’re all feeling it and I hope that soon we’ll all be able to simply get together discreetly at the palace for a simple dinner and to talk afterwards. The gods all know we need time to wind down and that is something we have yet to do. I guess it’s to be expected, but I think we all feel a bit lonely, but none so much as Lilia, I think. I hope she finds someone as good to her as you are to me, Farrell.
It’s delightful to know I’ll see you in a few short weeks. Before your letter arrived, I wasn’t even certain you’d received the last message I’d sent, but I’m happy to learn that the man we rescued was indeed your brother, and I must say that the story of your nephews was indeed amusing.
There is still much to do. I’m heading off to lunch with Lilia before heading to buy some equipment for the shop and to finish some much-needed repairs.
May the day greet you warmly and the wind hasten your voyage. I’ll see you soon.
Yours,
Sionan