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Post by Celestial on Sept 12, 2018 5:07:49 GMT -5
First, art of my idiot so it's clear what he looks like and this art doesn't get lost anywhere else. A master post of all my recaps and summaries of our gameplay, written in-character. This shall be updated whenever we finish a session so watch this space. Session Zero My quest for magical knowledge continues. I arrived in the town of Ur Zaihar, still in the territory of the wood elves, where a festival was taking place. Seeing that it included displays of magic, I blended in with the crowd to see what I could observe. Much of it was mediocre conjuring or magic I have no affinity or talent for. A few things, however, were of interest. I was able to observe the summoning of an earth elemental and, with some persuasion, was able to glean the details of such a feat from the magician who demonstrated it.
This, however, was not the most extraordinary thing I encountered. Observing the elemental in the crowd alongside me was a young-looking half-elf with very striking silver eyes. They too, were asking questions of the magician who has summoned the elemental, which suggested to me they were also seeking arcane knowledge. This intrigued me. Further conversation with the half-elf revealed their name to be Amani and their magic, unlike mine, was sorcerous in origin.
Normally, I do not like sorcerers. They gained their power through a quirk of birth: hardly a fair thing, in my opinion. However, there are things I dislike more, and one of them is thieves: destructive lowlives who take without respect or thought for anybody but themselves. It just so happened that Amani happened to attract the attention of one such scum. The halfling tried to grab a necklace from their person, and though they were spotted, they managed to get out of my grasp. Amani gave chase, and I did the same. An opportunity to take care of a thief, display my power and perhaps gain a valuable ally was not one I would turn down.
The thief proved slippery as a weasel. He leapt over the wall of Dyventian, the magic school (one I have made a note to check out later) and continued through there. It was not for lack of trying on my part: I managed to hit him with a blast of frostbite, although the accursed halfling managed to resist my subsequent fear spell. The chase did, however, allow me to see the sorcerer display their own powers. It was a small display- a mere ray of frost- but it was rather effortless. They clearly had great power.
The commotion attracted the attention of several others. Regrettably, some of those individuals were city guards. They went after the halfling themselves, without much success, and told us to stand down. To my chagrin, I had no choice, lest I draw their attention onto myself. The others who came over were less vexing. There were two humans. One of them was very strangely dressed, who spoke about vigilante justice. Another was...he gave me the impression of having far more enthusiasm than brains and even had the cheek of accusing me of hiding demons! The last individual to come over was a female elf with dark skin; it was curious to finally see a drow in person and not merely as an illustration or tale in the tomes I have read. What was interesting was that she acted the opposite of her kind's fearsome reputation: she offered to listen to the halfling and sympathise with him! The idealism is curious but misplaced.
I realise none of the former is relevant to my magical studies but what transpired later was. I got to speak with Amani and in the process, learned a good deal. Their powers come from a piece of the shadow within themselves, and they made it sound as though this power could be gained by another. They were also Varentari, albeit obviously not anywhere near where my kin hail from, and they, much like me, have the ambition to grow stronger and learn more. Despite my dislike of those born with inherent power, I could not help but feel an affinity with this sorcerer. In the process, I revealed more about myself than I would have liked, including the existence of my Lady, but I feel it was essential for gaining their trust. I think Amani will make a very powerful ally.
Unfortunately, due to extenuating circumstances, I had to cut our conversation short. Nevertheless, I will make a point of finding them tomorrow...
I shall write down the results of any further conversation in this journal for my record, lest it prove crucial to my studies.
Meallán Lynxheart Session OneAs usual, I started the day a few hours before dawn, just as the sky was beginning to lighten. When the line between day and night begins to blur, that is the best time to observe the wild fey magics. I was not disappointed. Among the normal wildlife, which is pleasing but ultimately useless o me, I did encounter a few fey creatures. The fey are normally such delightful company, especially for one such as I, for our kin have much in common. However some did not take so kindly to me. After being snubbed by a blue fox, I found a much more amicable squirrel by the name of Tiala. Having seen my ring, she was understandably wary of me- as peasant would be wary in the presence of a royal servant- but I managed to gain her trust in return for some simple nibbles. In exchange, she told me of what she had seen: apprentices of Dyventian academy and, further north, bandit activity.
Initially, I was more interested in the former than the latter. However, after Tiala left, I gave it some thought. My goal is to get into Dyventian to learn what I can but before I had no way of getting in. The bandits presented a good opportunity. If I prove myself by getting rid of them, the nobility could sponsor me for the academy. Moreover, I could get the pleasure of eliminating the bandit scum. It was at least a plan worth pursuing for now.
With that intent, I set off into the city to find out more information. I did not find it, but instead ran into some of the people from yesterday: specifically, the two humans. The enthusiastic one, whose name I learned was Khamet, informed me that he and Anthony, the other human, were looking for the cart that was raided by the bandits that Tiala spoke to me of. More than that, he invited me to join him. I hesitated but eventually accepted. Two reasons: first, they knew a more specific location to the bandits aside from "north". Secondly, being in a group means more chance to get things done, and if things go badly, I would not have to take the fall. Shortly, We were joined by the drow woman- known as Talsindra-, who proved herself to be very athletic. Indeed, she introduced herself by leaping off a tree and landing on the ground via my head! Mercifully, she did not notice any extra height.
Amani joined us as well. This pleased me: to see Amani in action against banditry and perhaps get a chance to learn from them would be a rare pleasure. I was beginning to feel better about the venture. Indeed, it is why I talked them into joining us. They were hesitant at first, not wishing to get involved with the bandits, but I reminded them that they wish to get stronger. They seemed to respond to that, confirming my suspicions from before: we are very much alike.
Unfortunately, an obstacle arose that I should have seen coming: soon, I had to disengage from the group for a short while so they would not find out about my true nature. This obviously aroused some suspicion. I cannot blame them: I would be suspicious myself. Nevertheless, it was most vexing. I even believe Anthony gleaned some information about the magic I was using to hide myself. To my relief, however, Amani, the one who I believed could have figured out exactly what I was, seemed inclined to trust me. It leads me to believe they are highly trusting, a personality trait that is not good in this world, but it is useful for my sake. The rest of the group eventually followed their lead and I was allowed to go into the woods to refresh my magical abilities. Afterwards, I carefully tracked the group and found them within the hour after my rest.
This continued with thankfully no further questions being asked. Nevertheless, I need to look into ways of making my ability more permanent. The magics of my kind were useful in the forests of Varentar but for longer stretches, they are all but useless.
Eventually, we came upon the site where I was informed the cart that was raided by the bandits was supposed to be. As expected, there was nothing. Using my abilities, I opened my senses to detect magic and came upon a blue stick. Unfortunately, my knowledge was not enough to determine what it is. Here, Amani's aid proved useful: they managed to glean that this was a magical locator that would mark a spot for later, to return to. Meanwhile, Khamet discovered something far more grisly: the cart and the bodies of the guards, as well as those of two bandits. From the latter bodies, I acquired a set of coordinates for the bandit lair. I have written them down at the back of this journal where I keep my rough notes of a non-magical nature.
I must make a note to remember to improve my map-reading skills. Fortunately in this case, though not so fortunately for arousing suspicion when it comes to my need to break away from the group, we were joined by another member. This one is the son of the local nobleman, a young wood elf by the name of Anzi. I say young: he is young by elf standards. Clearly unaware of the world, however. He reminds me of a little bird leaving the nest for the first time. Nevertheless, I could use a young nobleman who was exactly like that. I immediately did my best to ingratiate myself to him. Time will tell if it is successful in getting me onto the path to Dyventian. One curious thing he was able to mention that was relevant to our quest that I feel I must note down here is the following information: we found seven centaur corpses. There were eight on patrol. I suspect the last survivour was a mole but it is another thing that time will have to tell.
As I write this, we are on the edge of the forest. In the distance, hidden by darkness, are the hills where the bandits hide out. I eagerly yearn to test my power against them- it has been too long since I have channeled the power of my dearest Lady for something that was even a small challenge. We shall see what tomorrow will bring and I shall eagerly record it.
I must also make a note to research how to lengthen my magic to last longer. At the moment, I have broken away from the group and, as a consequence, am not hiding. Nevertheless, I feel unnaturally exposed, knowing they are so close. It almost feels like I am being watched. Perhaps this is another thing I could research: a way to let myself know when I am being observed.
Meallán Lynxheart Session TwoSo much happened since the last time I wrote that my mind spins just at the thought of it and my hands still shake from the action and emotions of the night. Hard to believe it has only been a few hours since my last journal entry. Let me go through it one piece at a time.
Having no way to hide myself should I require it, I stayed away from the group as much as I could while out in the plains. When the trees began to reappear again, the sense of safety and security they provided gave me the confidence to rejoin them, though I once again hid my true self from them. We moved through the shadowy forest, looking for any traces of the bandits. Feeling my vulnerability in the dark again, I lit a torch but I should have known it would be a beacon for the bandits, alerting them to our presence.
Fortunately, we had the drow, Talsindra, on our side. She spotted one of the scum hiding in the bushes, waiting to ambush us with a crossbow. In return, the scum tried to shoot her, though the elf was agile enough that dodging it proved no issue for her. The more time I spend with her, the more I find she is a useful ally, despite her soft-hearted idealism. The one that surprised me most, however, was the wood elf noble we stumbled upon. He was the one who landed a killing blow on this bandit. I might have misjudged him. He seemed like a naive fool out of his depth but perhaps I was wrong. I need to be more careful in my dealings with him in case he is more canny than anticipated.
After this encounter, however, we did not have much luck. The bandit lair was proving elusive. However, one must never underestimate the knowledge of the beasts of the forest. I implored a squirrel to help us find the humans and it did so. Amani, however, expressed their doubt, though I managed to quell it by asking them to trust me. As pleasant as it is to know they have grown to trust me in such a short time, I was disappointed in them for doubting it and, by extension, me. However, I should not be surprised: elves and humans- both sides of their heritage- do not understand how intelligent nature can be. It must be because they do not understand it as well as my kin do. As much as I despise their culture and rigidness of mind, I have no regrets about what I am. I see the world in a far broader scope than many. I do sometimes feel sad regarding not being able to forge this connection deeper. But I must not dwell. My power will grow greater in scope.
We entered the lair, with the paladin Khamet going first, at my insistence. He was easy enough to manipulate with talk of demons. I stayed behind him: Khamet is stronger than me. He is best used as my shield. Especially as he previously demonstrated an amazing ability to sleepwalk in the forest.
This was just as well as the next cavern we stumbled upon was full of three bandits, albeit at leisure playing cards. Before we could decide what to do, however, Anthony, the fool, brazenly walked out and tried to tell them their shift was over, whatever that meant. At the time, as much as I hate how stupid he is, I cannot help but admire the brazenness of it all. He even used magic to make his insults even more vicious. That takes skill. However, it all proved for nought as the bandits attacked.
I relished the fight. I got test out my magic far more extensively than for the previous single crossbow bandit, as well as see my comrades in action. Talsindra, especially, was impressive, knocking out a bandit with a single swing of a crate and several unarmed strikes. I also got a chance to shine, first knocking away the bandits' weapons with a burst of magic before killing another one with a crossbow bolt. The latter was far quicker than magic. Curiously, as the bandit fell, I suddenly felt a boost of power, as if I was stronger and tougher than before. I had not felt such a rush since I first acquired my power, even if this current one was only a fraction of the latter. My Lady must have been pleased with my efforts.
My companions had taken care of the rest, though unfortunately being distracted with my own target, I did not get to observe their fighting style in detail. I hope to do so in the near future. Regardless, we had been victorious and searched the area. Myself and Amani both stumbled upon an amethyst necklace. They determined it was not magical, and thus of no interest to me. I am recording this merely in case we discover that it is magical. Then I do want it back.
With nothing else, we moved on, only to encounter the heart of the bandit lair, judging by the fact it looked like a private quarters. Two of them were there and tried to threaten us. Both Talsindra and Amani were far too kind for them, offering them a chance to surrender, but of course, the scum did not take it. Still, their enthusiasm is commendable, if misplaced. So we fought them. These proved a touch more slippery than the last ones, though I did manage to hurt one with magic, if not kill him. The honour of felling the last one went to Anthony, who did it with some...very strange music. Music-based magic, how curious.
Its disadvantages became clear, however, when two hawks set upon him, attracted by the sound. They were vicious enough to claw him into unconsciousness. Weakling. Ahead of them, their master came forth, finally revealing himself. Amani, in their attempt to help Anthony, made themselves a target for him. They were hurt badly. This enraged me, and I did my best to strike the elf down. Unfortunately, I was not strong enough.
He must have sensed my weakness. First he attacked me, pulling me closer with a plant-like whip then compelled his hawks to fight me. It was embarrassing to be hit by such a lowly creature as that elf. Luckily, his attack did not hurt much due to my Lady's earlier blessing and both the hawks were unable to claw through the thick leather beneath my tunic. Just as well. I did not want them hurt.
It was Amani who came to my rescue. After almost being felled, they still pulled through to deliver the final blow to the bandit. I am grateful to them. I hope that perhaps, after this is over, we could stay together. I am not much for company but they are curious and I feel like we could learn much from each other.
One person, however, who I would be glad to be rid of is Anthony. With the hawks masterless, I told them to leave, The coward, however, took a moment to take revenge for his earlier injuries and slashed at one as it glew by with no provocation! The hawk was killed where it was! Needless to say, I was furious. For a while I considered hurting him, badly. I do not know why I did not. Perhaps because the eyes of the others were on me. However, I let him know exactly what I thought of this act. Next time I will not have such mercy. It's all well and good to kill bandits- despite what the others might think- as they are scum. But an animal does not always know better, nor does it willingly chose evil or do so of its own free will. The bandits chose their fates. I only regret I did not kill them all.
My fury, however, proved to be a decisive mistake. I did not notice the time that had gone by and my disguise spell wore off, revealing my true form to everyone. They know now I am a firbolg. I had wished I could get away from them without them ever finding out and asking questions, but mercifully, those were short. Only Amani asked me if I was from Varentar, which of course I was. My kin, as far as I know, are found nowhere else. I suppose they are the one person I do not mind knowing about myself: I did express the desire to travel with them earlier.
I also did find out that my last remark in the journal was correct: there was somebody watching me and it was Talsindra! I should have been angrier but with everything that happened and everyone knowing, such a thing would be pointless. Nevertheless, I do wish I was not so vulnerable and could see in the dark...
We are currently resting in the bandit's cave, with the surviving scum tied up and ready to be questioned or taken to justice as the others wish. I am exhilarated from the battle but also exhausted. I can only hope that my Lady is pleased with my efforts.
Meallán Lynxheart
***
I have just awoken from the sweetest dream! My Lady came to me! She was indeed pleased with what I had done and felt I was ready to gain more power. Most exciting! She granted me several boons! For one, I am writing this in total darkness yet my vision is as good as if there was light! Secondly, I feel far more powerful, far more invigorated even though I doubt it has been more than a few hours rest. And thirdly, she revealed to me the secret of a new spell: a way to create armour so that I might be able to withstand an attack much like the one I took earlier from the elf bandit.
I cannot wait to test my new strength. For a long time I had wondered how to get more powerful, since I had made so little progress otherwise, but now the answer is clear: I must use my magic and fight. I cannot wait.
Meallán Lynxheart Session ThreeAfter the revelation granted to me by my lady, I simply could not go to sleep. Instead, I agreed to take first watch. Much of it passed uneventfully, which I admit I found disappointing. However, I was confident that not even a mouse could slip past me with my new abilities.
Fortunately, some excitement was had at the end of my watch. The bandit leader awoke and I took the chance to make friendly conversation with him, hoping to gain some information in the process. Sadly, the scum proved resilient, both to my words and to my magic. It was frustrating, and something I must make a note of to rectify later. If a mere lowlife who hides in caves can resist me, what chance do I have of gaining further power? The worst part is that I knew he was lying, and yet, I could not extract anything further from him! And he had the gall to call be a "furry critter"! At least the noble, Anzi, who witnessed this, had the wisdom to not dare comment on this.
I must take stock of the situation and rest. My watch has closed, with more than a few comments from the drow who replaced me. Whatever she imagines, I am forever loyal to my Lady. I will sleep now. Hopefully it will calm me.
Meallán Lynxheart
***
My hands shake as I write this, but not from fear but excitement. I feel exhilirated, in ways I have not done since I left my clan. It is a stark reminder of just how sweet power tastes and why I crave it so much. But perhaps I should start at the beginning.
I awoke much later than normal due to my late night of keeping watch. It was already mid-morning, and despite the watch, I felt quite well-rested. My comrades- should I call them that? It feels odd to use such an intimate word- had clearly kept good watch. One of the bandits, lowlife that he was, was weeping, no doubt regretting the choices he had made in his wretched life. Talsindra, in her misplaced kindness, attempted to comfort him. When I remarked that her kindness was wasted, she mistook it as me asking for her kindness! Outrageously, she touched my ears! I had to explain to her what she just did and the intimacy of such a gesture. I have not had my ears touched since my fosterfathers in Varentar, and of course, my lady. At least she apologised for this violation.
While I was sleeping, Amani, as expected of them, managed to get some very interesting information from the bandit leader, including the name of the mastermind. I shall detail all this later in my journal as I wish to keep all the information together, and later I found out some very interesting things. For now, I shall say that Amani did a good job.
We began to inspect the contents of the bandit lair. Surprisingly, it had already been very much cleaned out and soon we found out why. We did find some of the contents of the raided caravan that we had been attempting to follow, including cloths and spices, though they are of little note. What was of note, however, was a lot of what the bandits had been taking, including a clue that leadership recently changed. I have kept the journal and will refer to it when necessary: hopefully I can use it as proof that we have dealt with these bandits and I can gain the favour that I so desire. There have been four or so writers. Only one, I know for certain, is still at large.
As we searched, we did, however, receive a very unpleasant surprise in the form of the scum who attempted to steal from Amani back in the city! How he followed us here is anybody's guess. What was more, he must have snuck past during one of our watches. It could not have been during mine: my eyes would have picked out anything in the darkness. It must have been during either Talsindra, Amani's or Anzi's watch. Most likely either the first or the last: the former is too kind, the latter, despite his skills, is still a spoiled and young noble. A note to myself: if I want anything done, I must do it myself.
This meeting, however, will prove opportune for us. Despite my dislike for him, it was impressive how he managed to evade all our keen eyes until the last moment. Perhaps he, like the others, has skills which can be used. That is, assuming, that the halfling thief- who we found out is called Basil- does not rob us blind. We found the contents of the chest in the previous room of the bandit hideout in his pockets! The coward has been wanting us to do the work and steal the reward. Well, thankfully, now he can earn his keep, despite Amani's understandable reluctance to the idea. So I made a promise to them: if he does try to rob us blind, I said that I would kill him. This placated them. It is good to know they trust me enough already.
Admittedly, the thought of killing the halfling does give me some satisfaction. Especially in light of what followed.
We discussed what to do with the bandits. I, personally, could not care either way. I figured that taking them to the guards would allow me to earn some favours with the nobility. I left the cave briefly and laid the murdered hawk under the open sky so that it may soar among them. I took the opportunity, also, to search for messenger birds to tell the guards of our discovery, but alas, the trees were clear. No wonder: if the bandits had been hunting here, birds would learn to quickly avoid it. This, did, however, make things more complicated. The simple solution would have been to kill them. However, without my attempts at favours, I did not care what happened to them. Some of the group, however, had strong opinions, particularly Talsindra. It is intriguing: a drow who does not wish to kill. I have heard of such things. Drow who are repulsed by their society. Could she be one?
The bandit leader interrupted, doing something admirable for once in his wretched life: he offered us information in exchange for allowing some of the younger bandits to go. With the journal and Amani's information from earlier, I was eager to learn the pieces of the puzzle, and I figured it would appease the more kind-hearted members of our party. So we let the younger ones go with only the clothes on their backs. They will not rob anybody again.
It was here that the pieces of the puzzle came together. The bandit leader -or rather, sub-leader- told us of Crezonis: a centaur who took over their leadership, killing the previous leader in the process. One of the sets of handwriting in the journal must belong to him. He is not a popular master. That, however, is irrelevant. What matters is we know where Crezonis is: we can hunt him down. This shall be my favour!
With his usefulness expended, it was Anthony who decided to kill the leader. However, he was incompetent, missing constantly. I took over. Two quick shots and the leader was dead. Another shot killed the remaining lackey. And it was...amazing. I had not killed anybody for so long and I had almost forgotten the thrill of it! The power! The ability to give or take life! It was intoxicating. I cannot wait to face Crezonis!
My eagerness was not shared by some of my comrades, especially Basil and Talsindra. The former, most likely, because he got a taste of the fate that awaited him should he stray. The latter, see my speculation above. I tried to tell her that it does not matter but she ignored me. I must make a note to try to sway her to my side later. Her skills must not be wasted.
We are now on our way to meet Crezonis. As I mentioned before, I cannot wait. I hope my Lady is watching me with pride.
Meallán Lynxheart (Since there was barely any gap between session 4 and 5 in-game, I have clumped my in-character recaps for it together.) Session 4 and 5We have begun our travel to intercept Crezonis. He was supposed to be meeting the bandit leader by a silver tree five days from here in nine days. We have ample time so we have been making a slow pace. However, after the excitement of the previous day, returning to travel almost feels disappointing.
My travelling companions - for I suppose, we are to travel together for some time- are however proving themselves to be more and more curious by the minute. Unfortunately, Anzi, departed from us alone. I do hope he makes it back to his home safely. He has proven his competence, and my fondess for him does not extend further than for many others, but it would look back if we let a nobleman's son go only for him to find his death. I must remember to check on him once we return. At least Amani found a few birds for me, allowing me to speak with the birds and ask them to watch Anzi. Though my observational skills were not as sharp as usual that day, I could not miss Amani's fascination. They seemed keen to learn, and I wish I could teach them. But neither of their halves, elf or human, are good at listening to the forest. Though perhaps, in exchange for some other secrets, I could teach them something...
The rest, as I said, are very interesting indeed. Anthony is highly amusing, though I am half convinced he is insane with the strange things he talks about, like "uber" and "five guys" and other such nonsense, such as ducking into the bushes to speak to someone even though there was no person. Though I do not let my amusement cloud my judgement: I will not forget that hawk soon. At least he did provide us with a nice meal this evening. Though the taste has faded, I still recall it. Fish is always such a treat.
My attempts to contribute to cooking the meal reminded me far too much of my days with my clan. That is all I shall say.
Following from my note in my last entry, I did, indeed, speak to Talsindra in an attempt to sway her and convince her I meant no harm. The conversation was, ultimately, unsuccessful in this goal but interesting nevertheless. Now we know where we stand. She gave me the sweet, innocent act but in the end, she revealed to me that she does not trust me and told me it will not be so easy for me to sway her. I must admit, she almost convinced me, even if throughout the whole conversation I did suspect there was more to her words than was on the surface. She had my curiosity but now, she has my attention. As well as being a fine ally, I wish to learn more about Talsindra. Perhaps even finally convince her to trust me, though if I do not, I will not be disappointed. She would make a fine enemy too.
Though I must remember to also be cautious. I do not know these people well, even if I do like some of them. Amani got me talking this evening about my home in Varentar, and my former clan. I do not wish for anybody here to know more than I have told them. I must be more careful with my words.
There was one another notable encounter I had today, one I hope to follow on. I write this at the end of my watch, during which I noticed a large, beautiful black cat, similar to the ones who lived in the forests of Varentar but far more powerful in build. But not just any cat: a fey by the name of Surati. A pleasant creature. I spoke with them on some subjects, including the nature of my lady, though to my disappointment, they do not know her. But how would one know a queen in Varentar, whose territory does not extend this far? Surati, nevertheless, was pleasant company. I always do enjoy the company of fey and fauna alike. Though they were very coy in their reasons for being here. I shall perhaps be able to find out their reasons later. For now, I must finish. The rest of the group is waking. We must continue our journey.
Meallán Lynxheart
***
Very little happened today. I only make a note of it due to the fact that in the distance, we saw smoke. Smoke that was quite thick. We did not follow it, however. We need to intercept Crezonis. Nevertheless, on our way back, I must remember to have a look at what is there. Curiosity compells me, and I suspect not only me.
Meallán Lynxheart
***
I write this out of breath but also utterly exhilirated. I cannot begin to start describing my excitement, so my only hope is to write events down in hopes that my memory will be stirred when I reread this. Though I am unlikely to forget any time soon.
We arrived at the meeting spot: a tree with silver moss, distinct from the surrounding area as the moon from the night sky. There is no firbolg alive who would be unable to appreciate such a beauty and I was no exception. Had I time today, I would have tried to see what makes this tree so exceptional.
Meanwhile, the hafling, Basil, climbed the tree. Though it was unpleasant watching his sticky fingers touch it, he did prove useful and told us the source of the smoke: a village named Ur Deyn. At the time, we continued to think nothing of it so we explored further around the land, finding an isle in the process across the sea. Though I know how to swim, albeit not well, I was reluctant to explore, and the rest of the group agreed. We best wait to Crezonis, though we had four more days. With this time to spare, Khamet departed on his quest for more demon hunting. What a strange man he is, though his devotion to his cause is...certainly admirable, if nothing else.
However, we were wrong about Crezonis. Basil once again scouted up the silver tree and he spottted movement among the trees. Something large: a centaur! Accompanying him were four bandits! This was indeed Crezonis. With barely any time to prepare, the rest of the party scrambled. Some hid, some ran, but not I. I wanted to see what I could learn. So I assumed the face of the bandit leader who I killed. Maybe I could use his features again sometime: real features are much easier to imitate than making up a completely new face for my disguise.
But enough aside musings. I tried to tell Crezonis that I was ambushed to explain the fact that I was here early, which is a half truth. I had hoped to learn something from him and then catch him by surprise to kill him. My plan, sadly, did not go as expected. Crezonis saw Amani, and to their credit, they did an excellent job of going along with me saying they had followed me and they even tried to decieve Crezonis in saying they wished to join the group. But Anthony...Anthony chose that moment to poke his nose in. He was much harder to explain. They were immediately on the defensive and began to fight.
Luckily, my disguise held firm and they did not attack me at first. I could see the rest of the group scrambling to try to ambush him or attack- as Basil did (he's proving a useful little hafling. I am happy we kept him alive)- or, in the case of Anthony, hide. For the first time, I severely regretted not having Khamet there. He would have been useful. Though one thing did catch my attention: there was a halfling with Crezonis who said they could ransom Anthony?! Who would pay money for him?
Nevertheless, I did the best I could. Unfortunately, my first spell failed. It soon became clear why when Crezonis cast a bolt of energy. Amani noticed this first. It was blue, unlike my gold, but they could still identify it: an eldrich blast, a bolt of energy that comes from a patron. My heart leapt into my throat. I knew immediately then I wanted Crezonis alive.
My kin are accustomed to hunting four-legged creatures, and even one who does not care for the hunt knows how to bring one down: take out its legs. I fired my own blast at Crezonis' and managed to get him crippled! By this point, my heart was racing, my face had broken out into a grin, and under my disguise, my ears were upright and erect against my head. I felt like I was facing an equal. I felt alive.
Unfortunately, it was not just Crezonis we were facing. The hafling turned out to be an accursed druid and attempted to grab me. As if she could do that to someone accustomed to the thick underbrush of Varentar. I resisted, but Amani was not so lucky. They were grabbed.
Seeing how the battle was going, Anthony finally decided to prove himself useful, hitting Crezonis, but with barely any force. Talsindra and Basil, meanwhile, were a little more successful in going after the pesky druid. I attempted to take advantage of my disguise and, remembering the journal, get the bandits to turn against their leader but no success. Seeing the tide of the battle and our power, they fled. That left the druid and Crezonis and I wanted to take him down myself. Not even an injury could stop me, especially since, beneath my disguise, I had my magical golden armour on, a gift from my lady.
The druid, however, continued to be a pain. She shattered it with thunder and in the process, knocked out Amani...almost. The shadows who give them their magic saved them. Their eyes glittered like stars in the process. They continue to impress me more and more. With their power, they might one day rival mine. I must remain their ally, at least until I can learn their secrets.
Talsindra was taking care of the halfing druid, meaning no more annoyances like that. Basil had also joined the fray, as the battle was turning in our favour. Typical rogue. Even Anthony joined in earlier. At that point, I thought we were done and aimed my last attack at Crezonis.
But they did not fall. Like Amani, they had some power protecting them. Unlike Amani, I knew almost exactly what it was: his patron. Frustrating but not something that could not be handled. I knew that his patron could not be stronger than mine. I and the rest simply had to keep chipping away.
Talsindra also did her best, hitting him with her staff in an impressive display of power, but once again, Crezonis' patron intervened. By this point, I craved that power for myself. Even my lady never gave an inkling that she would give me something like that. She gives me strength, yes, but not enough to save me from death. Only hen I dispense death, as it is in nature. But Talsindra's attack gave us a glimpse of this patron at least, though not enough for me to be able to remember details.
After several more attempts, it was Amani who brought him down. However, they attempted to kill him. I could not allow that! Despite arguing with them, I tried to save them but in the chaos, I could not. Anthony, however, did. I am not sure if I should thank him but I am grateful.
From here, I learned so many things. Once Crezonis was tied up and I dropped my disguise (he did not seem to care much for the bandits, which I am not surprised by, given the feeling is mutual) I found out who their patron was: Arcaito, an archfey of Eaine and Lord of Wild Spaces. I had never heard of him. I doubt his power can compare to my dearest lady. The centaur also had the gall to ask me what I knew about fey! As if my lady is not a fey. I told him so, and the fool had the guts to taunt me and claim his Arcaito is superior, even though he was the one in ropes. I could have laughed.
Besides this, we did find out other things, which simply reinforced in my mind how entirely pathetic Crezonis was. He took to banditry and made his pact simply to retake Deyn from the elves. Such a small ambition. And he had the gall to call himself "chosen" and saying his patron is more different and special. I would have taunted him further to his face had Talsindra not interrupted us but she cannot see me in my journal.
We shall take Crezonis back to face justice. He is more than simply a mere bandit, so by bringing him back, I shall get my favour for capturing him. I cannot wait to prove to him how wrong he was to trust Arcaito. And perhaps I can even find this Arcaito. I am sure my lady could teach him a thing or two.
I feel exhilirated. Stronger. I can feel my lady Malka's favour upon me. Even looking through my journal, I found two spells which I cannot remember writing down, scrawled in shining ink. One of them is a ritual for summoning a fey creature, a companion to remind me of my days in Varentar when I first met her. I must admit, I have missed communicating with the fey regularly. I must attempt it as soon as I get the chance, when Crezonis brought back to the nearest settlement for justice.
Meallán Lynxheart Session SixAn addendum to the previous entry: It was difficult convincing the rest of the group of my views that Crezonis might yet have secrets we might uncover. Amani has been very keen to kill them -unsurprisingly, given their distaste for all forms of banditry- and of course, Anthony's bloodlust is insatiable. In the end, I managed to prevail in making sure he is kept alive to reveal his secrets. After that, I do not care what happens to him.
The firbolgs, back in Varentar, had a technique they used to keep animals from running but not preventing them from walking. Most commonly, the druids used it to exercise large quadrupeds they were healing but it was also used by hunters to bring back living animals to be killed for meat later. It was a skill that was forced upon me but now, I am thankful that it was. Of course, Crezonis fought and resisted with with some aid from the others, I managed to subdue him and hobble him enough so that we can take him back to face the elven justice. But I am not handing him over without getting what I want. Perhaps that knowledge will even convince Amani that I am right, even if right now, they do not fully comprehend my reasoning.
My watch was mostly uneventful. Only a few notable things happened. First, Khamet returned. Though we could have used his skill, he seemed like he had not been wandering aimlessly either. He brought back a gnarled staff which he claims is from a demon. I would believe that if the man did not see demons everywhere. However, the staff intrigues me. It is magical, though I cannot yet identify what it is; my lady taught me the spell but I lack the proper ingredients. But I am intrigued. When I can cast the spell she taught me, I must identify what it is. Same with Crezonis's pike: through casting that spell, I realise it is magical. Previously I thought it was only a glorified staff but now, I want it. I am not letting anybody else have it.
It is now the end. I must go wake Anthony and brave his madness and strange ways if I want to rest.
Meallán Lynxheart
***
I write this as we settle in for camp for the night after travelling with Crezonis in tow towards Ur Deyn, which we have decided is the nearest settlement. I am very keen to get some rest, since our sleep was interrupted by fighting a giant wasp that has snuck into our camp somehow. A most unusual enemy, one I have only seen so far in Eaine. We managed to fight it off with ease, and though Anthony got the poison- I dare hope he does not drink it in search of narcotic effects- I did manage to acquire the stinger. An extra weapon is never a poor idea. Talsindra, meanwhile, harvested the wasp for food! I am surprised she managed to get enough flesh from it. I wonder if this is a drow thing. The firbolgs, frugal and respectful of nature as they are, would have most likely used its wings and armour but certainly not the meat, at least not for our consumption. I have not tried it: it does not seem appetising.
Crezonis is proving highly cagey with his information. In his position, I would be too, but nevertheless, it is frustrating. If I could torture him, I would do so but not with these people around. So I resorted to intimidation. Nevertheless, even that does not provide the answers I want. For one who is a "Chosen", Arcaito has not shared much with Crezonis. Another reason he is far inferior with my lady: she would share everything with me as long as I was ready. I think I will speak to Arcaito myself, since his Chosen is so unwilling to part with information. I just need to think of how to do so.
I tried to find the pearl I require for the identification spell in the river but there was no luck: most likely this river is far too slow for pearl-bearing mussels, assuming they even live in Eaine like they do in Varentar. I did find the corpse of a demonic creature, however. It seems Khamet was not exaggerating: he did, in fact, find a demon. On its person, I found a map. I do not know where it leads as it is badly waterlogged but I have nevertheless placed it into my journal opposite for safekeeping. Who knows when it may prove useful?
We are now across the river, Crezonis and the halfling in tow. Ur Deyn is only a few days away. I must think of some way to speak with Arcaito before I lose him. He appeared when Crezonis was threatened with death or at least a mortal wound. Perhaps there is something here...
Meallán Lynxheart Session SevenI write sitting amongst the blackened ruins of Ur Deyn. One does not need to be a genius to figure out this was the result of the smoke we saw earlier. I suppose it cannot be helped. At least we caught the one who is responsible, though he will not be executed for his actions. But I suppose I should start at the beginning.
As soon as we were close to the elf village, I donned my disguise, plus a few additions. I liked the form of Volan, the elf bandit leader, so I incorporated a few of his features into my elven form to complement it. As much as I like Aquilian's features, I also wish to create a face that is entirely my own. Hence, in addition to his freckles and facial shape, I have now added dimples and a mole beneath my right eye. I think it's quite fetching and serves as a good distraction from my true nature. My companions might know what I am but the fewer who know, the better: a lone firbolg so far from his clan attracts questions.
As we entered, we were greeted by several elves and a white dragonborn. First drow and now dragonborn; Eaine is full of so many races I had only heard of in books! I did not notice, her, however, until she attacked us! Before I could do anything, however, my companions managed to talk her down. Well, Khamet attempted to. He spoke of there being no need for violence, and for once, given the circumstances, I was inclined to agree. But surprisingly, given his past record, it was Anthony who proved to be the one to defuse the conflict, casting a spell on the dragonborn that sent her to sleep. I must admit I was secretly impressed. Yet another spell I must make a note to try to learn.
Basil, typically of him, wanted to rob her. The ridiculous halfling only had one thing on his mind! There were greater concerns to be addressed, however, as Crezonis regained his staff. Since he was bound, I was not too worried. He could not do much yet, or so I thought. Instead I focused on defusing further conflict with the elves. Tally showed them her diplomatic pass (something that should have been obvious she had, given her nature as a drow, but never occured to me) and I showed them Crezonis. By now, several centaurs had joined in and began threatening Crezonis. I, however, defended him. A strange gesture but I was still determined to get his secrets. The centaurs wanted him, though the rest of the group were hesitant to give him up, including myself. I did not feel the centaurs could deal with him properly. Exile is no way to deal with one who has a fey pact. All it gives him is nothing to lose.
But I got my wish to learn his secrets, though not in a way I would have liked. In hindsight, I should have noticed that Crezonis's eyes had changed from their usual brown to that bright, flourescent green we had seen earlier. He choose this time to act, doing...something that caused this spectral shape to appear. I had seen many terryifing things in my time but that frightened me out of my wits. I hated feeling so vulnerable. It was probably magic. Yet more of Arcaito's secrets.
Yes, Arcaito. It was him: he had taken over Crezonis. That was what he had done before, by that beautiful tree, when we thought we were only fighting him. I only realised when I growled at Crezonis to make it stop and he told me to let "him" go. Not "me" but "him." Taking over the body of one you are a patron of! How vulgar! I would permit my lady to do so but only if she asked me beforehand. If that was the case, it might be rather pleasant.
Regardless, I wanted that thing GONE. It felt like it was digging into my mind, bringing out all my worst fears. The shape was dark in a way my enhanced vision could not penetrate. Even the strange glow it acquired- faerie fire, cast by Tally I later realised- was not enough to dispell the fear. In an attempt to make it stop, I did what I new best: attacked with magic. First, I cast a hex so my spells would do more damage and then hit Crezonis- or rather, Arcaito- in the thigh, attempting to disable his movement again. It did not quite work- I aimed too high- but I hit him. He did strike me back, using some fey force shield, but it was barely but a stratch. Nothing compared to what I had inflicted upon him. Yet another point in mine and my lady's favour.
My companions, thankfully, wasted no time in trying to help. Khamet tried- emphasis on tried- to inflict the fury of his god upon him. I saw the power in his sword and then it was extinguished. Had I not been terrified, it might have been funny. Anthony tried to Crezonis/Arcaito too, with similar success.
Then...it makes me angry to even write about this but I must. I do not want to forget this insult. Arcaito, in a disgustingly calm voice, told me Lady Malka was no fey and asked me what she was. How dare he?! She is a fey: she told me so. He must have known this was not the first time the accusation was levelled against her! He must have known that was a way to keep me down, no doubt to try to paralyze me with despair on top of the fear, or cut me off from the source of my power. It did not work: it only made me angrier. He says he cannot lie as he is a fey but then Lady Malka would not lie to me either! Therefore Arcaito was twisting the truth by playing on my memories, no doubt in order to save him and his chosen. The nerve!
As if to add insult to injury, he attempted to charm me. However, fuelled by my rage, I managed to resist. At the same time, I felt the fear dissipate from my mind. He must have broken his concentration. The battle was turning in our favour.
Amani-blessed Amani- also did something: they cast a spell that caused Crezonis great pain. At least, it seemed to. He clutched his head and screamed but there was no physical effect. They must have done something to his mind. I am constantly impressed by their ability. I need to ask what it is exactly they did so I might perchance learn it. My admiration for them keeps growing.
My other companions, such as Basil, also began to attack. Amani continued to do so, inflicting yet more damage. Feeling the battle was not going in his favour, Crezonis/Arcaito tried to run. I could not let him escape, not now! So I did something desperate, something that in hindsight could have easily gotten me hurt or killed. I had seen hunters do this only in very desperate circumstances and those animals did not have a ghostly apparition hovering over them. I leapt onto Crezonis's back and held a dagger to his throat. I ordered him to stop or I would kill him. If he had not complied, I must confess, I am not sure what I would have done. Perhaps I might have attempted to kill him with that dagger, even though I cannot stand the use of physical weapons, nevermind my lack of skill with them. But the threat worked: Arcaito made him stop.
This gave time for my companions and the guards to catch up. Once again, the centaurs threatened him but this time, I was happy to let them do it. I could not let him bolt again. Khamet spoke to him, saying we have a rivalry. Perhaps this was true; given that we are on opposing sides and our patrons have very different goals, perhaps we are rivals. Still, it implies that Crezonis is on my level. This was the second time I had proven myself superior to him in the span of a few days. Khamet also threatened to bash my head in if I tried to hurt him. That, I admit did annoy me. I would have hoped he would take my side.
Nevertheless, I took my chance to question Arcaito. I demanded he told me all his secrets, all the abilities he had given Crezonis so I might use them for myself. Alas, it was for naught: he would only bestow those upon me if I made a pact with him. The thought was repulsive to me. I am and forever loyal to my lady, and I saw how he treated his pitiful chosen. I would not want to be used like that. So I refused, but I still tried to get something, anything out of him. A spell, a fey trick, even an arcane secret. But he gave me nothing. So I could only satisfy my curiosity regarding Crezonis.
Apparently Arcaito is finding his wild spaces less than perfect these days. Perhaps he should visit Varentar: they have plenty of wild spaces there. My kin, for good or for ill, look after them well. But I assume he is tied to Eaine; the fey in the two spaces, as proven by my lady and him, are incompatible. But he chose Crezonis because the centaur and him both had similar goals. I assume that Crezonis was wishing to fight against the elven encroachments on the plains. Most disturbingly, Arcaito hinted he could find another chosen. I feel we have not seen the last of him even if Crezonis is no longer a threat.
I do feel some discomfort from my companions at the revelation of my motives. I must try to alleviate some of it, though I know they are a long way from trusting me fully. That is fine. As long as I can keep being around them, I can somehow gain that trust, and I do not plan on leaving any time soon.
Khamet spoke to Crezonis again. The curious man asked him about his religion, as if it mattered! But what Crezonis revealed was fascinating: those in exile, they cannot go to the infinite plains with their families when they die. How curious. At least for my kin, banishment, however life-destroying it is, stops at death when we all become part of the earth and nature. How cruel the centaurs are.
Since he was subdued, we needed to decide what we are doing with him. The centaurs pulled me off him but I was hesitant to leave. After some arguing, Amani persuaded the centaurs to look the other way and let us kill him. Anthony was on board with the idea, unsurprisingly. That man's bloodlust is insatiable, and Amani thought it was the best solution. I had to agree: as long as Arcaito was with Crezonis, they would be a threat together, and by Crezonis's own admission, he could not break the pact. So that left only one option, one which I was glad to accept. We would not have even needed to dirty our own hands: the dragonborn, whose name I later learned was Tyzol, was keen to do it for us.
Some others in the group, however, were not so keen to kill him. It was the same ones who did not wish to kill the bandits: Basil and Tally. Basil, especially accused us of being insane, which coming from a kleptomaniac halfing was a bold claim indeed!
While we were arguing, the centaur somehow undid his bindings and bolted. I was sure I was secured them well but it hardly mattered at the time. After all our hard work, it was about to be wasted! I had no time to react except to reflexively slash in a wide arc at where he was with the dagger in my hand. I ended up hitting him. I even cut off his own finger in the process. He ran a little further and for a moment, my heart sank as I thought he was going to get away. But oh, my lady came through for me! The hex I had cast earlier activated, tearing at the wound with black and red energy, bringing him down. I think I also took off one of his fingers: I did not want to look. I was too busy cleaning the blood off.
I strode over, keen to finish the job with a blast of magic this time but yet another one of my companions was determined to keep him alive. Khamet healed Crezonis fully, much to my anger. After all that effort, he undid everything! I was furious but I could do nothing about it. What is the use of power if one cannot do anything?
Khamet was determined to speak to Crezonis, to convince him to be a good person, despite the fact that no doubt Crezonis would go right back to serving Arcaito. My pleas about that fell on deaf ears. Crezonis, however, continued to beg and plead, revealing more of his relationship with Arcaito: Arcaito simply uses him, not telling him what he desires and taking over. I got the impression Crezonis failed him. It was pitiful.
Talsindra also tried her hand at speaking to Crezonis (after handing Juniper to Basil. So focused was I on Crezonis, I did not even realise until later Juniper tried to get away.). And she...what she said was quite moving. She spoke of the drow and how they were created and how they (or rather, she and her kin on the surface, I assume) are trying to break away from the Queen of Darkness who made them. She drew a clear parallel between that and Crezonis' struggle with Arcaito before offering to help him, or at least take him to those who could help.
I have to admit, I was touched. Tally might be idealistic to a fault and always try to see the best in people but I can see why she does that: else she would succumb to the darkness. Though I do not agree with her ideals, I still admire her greatly. She is strong in many ways. She has earned my respect.
With her perspective, now, I felt more pity for the centaur than any animosity. He was a pawn of a greater force, a pawn that was barely in control and out of his depth. I still feel hesitant about letting Crezonis go, even if it is with Tally to those who could help him. I will do it, however, for her sake. She seems to know what she is doing and seems to know the risks. Regardless, I am coming with her to see this through to the very end. I realise now that Crezonis is not the one I should be going after: Arcaito does not care for him like my lady cares for me. If I want Arcaito's secrets, I must force them out of him myself. But to do so, I must continue to grow stronger. I could defeat his chosen but the power of an archfey is greater still. I must be patient. Crezonis told me he is in the Grasping Woods. I will at least try to find out where it is on my travels.
And he better pray he never speaks so foully of my lady ever again.
We are taking a breather before going on to explore what is left of Ur Deyn. This whole place is giving rise to thoughts I did not expect to think. Perhaps I can gather some spell ingredients here before we set off. I miss Varentar.
Meallán Lynxheart Session EightWith the battle over, the full force of where I was hit me. Mercifully, it was raining, which did dull the smell of smoke somewhat, but I could still sense it. I did not breathe too deep, and always through my mouth. Nevertheless, the memories stirred. I did my best to suppress them. I do not want to think about what happened, now or ever. I hate thinking about it.
I did my best to avoid looking at Crezonis’ finger and seeing the blood but occasionally, I caught sight of it. Like breathing in the smoky air, my eyes kept drifting back to it. Each time I did, I felt the sudden nausea I always do at the sight of blood. There was too much on him. I have never been able to stand blood, not since…it’s why I prefer magic: it’s clean. The sheer contrast between the centaur’s two injuries proves it: where magic was involved, there is now only a blackened scar. So that he might always remember me.
Nevertheless, with all this, I felt vulnerable before my companions. I wanted to get away, to restore myself, much like I had done many times in the forests of Varentar. Whenever I was distressed, I had always gone deep into the trees, often for days, where my clan could not find me, and only fey creatures lived. I missed that. But with my lady’s kind generosity and the spell she had inscribed in my book, I could recreate that. I could centre myself. If only I could find what I needed.
Basil left us, taking the halfling druid with him. I took it as a good time to leave too, though I only needed directions. The dragonborn pointed me to where the apothecary used to stand. I figured it was a good place to start in looking for what I needed. Not wanting to waste more time, I headed there, doing my best to ignore the scent of burning and the sight of bodies, mercifully without blood. The stench and sight of ash was enough.
On the way, I picked up some charcoal which I would also need for the ritual and plenty for later. The apothecary, thankfully, was in a decent state of repair and I had everything I was looking for. With that, I settled down and began the ritual as per my book. For future reference, it involved lighting the incense and burning the herbs within the charcoal at the centre of a circle while speaking words of summoning and binding. I knew the name of the fey I wanted to call forth so from there, it was simply a matter of reading conditions, down to the small specifics. Fey are wonderful creatures but they can be tricky.
Or at least, so I thought. I had only laid out the incense before I was interrupted. Anthony was calling my name but I did my best to ignore it. It was only when Talsindra burst in that I found out what happened: he had poisoned himself with the wasp poison he took earlier, along with the dragonborn. I do not know why they came to me but it was, despite the interruption, oddly satisfying. She practically begged me for help.
Fortunately for Anthony and his idiocy, it took almost no effort to find a cure for his very specific situation: antidote for the wasp poison. Grabbing it, I strode outside, where fortunately, the dragonborn was too incapacitated to comment on my firbolg appearance too much. Wasting no time, I poured the antidote into her throat, following with Anthony, expressing my annoyance with them for good measure. With that, I returned to my ritual. Talsindra was still there, and in an attempt to try to win her trust, I offered to let her watch. I do not know how long she did, however. She was gone by the time I completed it.
Eventually, it was done. I opened my eyes and there he was: the same little fey sable that I had gotten to know in Varentar. His true name is private, and inscribed only in the ritual, where for his sake, it should stay. The name I call him now is Aytal. One who I chose, specifically, to be my travelling companion deserves a name that reflects that, hence “chosen creation.” Once he appeared, I coaxed him onto my shoulder and immediately, I felt an incredible sense of peace, one I had not felt since leaving my forest. Stroking his soft fur, it was almost like being back in a clearing in Varentar, under the summer sun, speaking to the birds, animals, trees, insects and of course, fey that shared our home.
I could not, however, stay forever. It was time to return to the others and introduce them to my little friend. As quickly as I could so nobody would spot me, I sprinted across Deyn, invisible, until I found them again. They were discussing Anthony and his failed romance with the dragonborn. Not the most interesting topic to come back to but I suppose one cannot just choose.
Wishing to change the topic, I introduced the others to my new friend. Some reactions were more pleasant than others. Amani liked him, as expected: they are sensible. Aytal seemed to like them too. Anthony wanted to take a picture of him, though he thought Aytal was a “pupper”, whatever that was for his “meme page”, whatever that was. He held up his little box and did something, which was odd. I thought he was going to draw him. By this point, however, I have realised it is pointless to question that man’s logic. I know for a fact my elf disguise is not a “meme”.
Speaking of strange, Khamet had some leaves and branches with him, for whatever reason. I also have learned not to question him.
On to more interesting matters, Talsindra, apparently found an elf in the village whose brother was missing. Of course, with her idealism and desire to help, she wanted to go find him. I did not see why not join her: it might have been a fun diversion, and I do not wish to get on Tally’s bad side. It would also have given Aytal an opportunity to explore.
The question was, as always, what to do with Crezonis. Even if he seemed defeated at that moment, we could not take him with us nor leave him alone. I did not trust him, or rather, did not trust Arcaito to not come back as soon as our backs were turned. However, he was afraid of being left with the dragonborn, Tyzol, and understandably so: I fully believe she intended to kill him. Eventually, we decided to take him with us. It felt safer this way. If he tried to run, we could always kill him. Though Tally did not wish it and the thought of killing something so pathetic was no longer satisfying, if it had to be done then so be it. I would not shed a tear.
While I remember, a note for myself: when we have time, I should teach Amani better sylvan, just as my lady once did for me. They called Aytal a “pancake” instead of “soft” and while he is sweet, it is inaccurate.
We set off into the forest to find this missing elf. While there, I decided to test mine and Aytal’s link. The little sable was immediately as at home in this forest as in Varentar, scuttling through the undergrowth and sniffing for any sign of the elf. I peered through his senses, and while at first it was highly disorientating, I soon got used to it. The only thing was that I had to trust my companions to not lead me astray. I do wonder how far this bond can stretch. I must remember to experiment, once we are all safe of course.
Eaine always fascinates me in how different the wildlife is, and I got reminded of that when we met a few giant lizards who simply wandered across out path. They were the size of a deer. I had never seen anything like that in Varentar: the forests are too cold. I did try speaking to them but they did ignore us and moved on, so we followed their example.
After some trekking, we did come across an unusual sight. Unless, of course, elves normally grow on trees. Amani approached them and spoke to them, which did have an effect of isolating one of the elves. He did come down from the branches and mentioned the name Talsindra relayed to us was the sister who sent us on this quest. Meanwhile, I utilised Aytal again, checking to see if he was injured, which he was not. How did I manage without a familiar all this time?
The elf, was, however, rather hostile, and it was not simply because of what I was (I realised too late I could not put on my disguise, even though I should have.) After some coaxing from Amani, the elf revealed his name was Illuthryn: he was the one we were looking for. However, he was not alone, and there was somebody else he wished to bring with him. An elf woman named Solaria. Who, judging by her armour was one of Crezonis’s bandit gang. He claimed to not know her but it soon became very obvious what happened.
I personally did not care. I had killed their leader and Crezonis was now in our custody. She could do no further harm. So we made a promise to Illuthryn that she- Solaria, her name was- would be unharmed if she came with us. With that settled, we returned back to Deyn.
Well, not without some incident. Eaine really does have amazing wildlife! Though I had read about them, I had never seen a birdfolk before. But we ran into a woodcutter raven man, a very charming creature by the name of Hatchet Split. I quite enjoyed him, and he liked Aytal. Another reason why I question why I never thought of having the little sable before: he is quite useful in making an excellent first impression, something that would never fail to come in useful.
We left Hatchet Split and on the way, took a rest so I could return to my disguise so as to not alarm the remaining residents of Deyn. I also took a moment to write down everything that has happened from the battle with Crezonis to this moment. We shall see what happens when we return to Deyn.
Meallán Lynxheart Session NineAfter our rest, we returned to Deyn and Venali. She was reunited with her brother and even gave Talsindra a small gift, which I found out later was a spice pouch. Not particularly exciting but it will liven up meals if nothing else.
Meanwhile, Anthony approached the dragonborn. I was curious what he was going to do, especially after the poisoning incident had poisoned her against him. Anthony can be quite entertaining at times. However, here he…played a song? And she liked it enough to forgive him?! They went away together and I was left confused what had just occurred. How was a song good enough to earn his forgiveness, and why was it that song? I am not even questioning how Anthony’s box plays music in the first place. I feel like I must find out what kind of magic it is but knowing Anthony and his devices, that magic will elude me.
I returned to doing something I at least understood: tying up Crezonis. Apparently whoever had done the knots on him had done a really terrible job (I suspect it was Khamet or Anthony). With Talsindra’s help, I retied them. Crezonis was surprisingly compliant. I suppose he realised there was no fighting against his fate now.
As we were finishing that, Basil returned. However, he was without Juniper, only carrying her staff. He tried to convince us that she was with us, not with him, and that we simply let her go. For a moment, I almost believed him. His lies were easy to swallow, and in the chaos of things, it was easy to get lost. Amani, however, saw right through him, as one would expect from them. Nevertheless, Basil refused to reveal anything. He is a strong, clever, sneaky little halfling. No wonder he made such a good thief.
However, Juniper is not and never was important here. While it does bristle me he let her go without speaking to us, it is par for the course for Basil. If it had been Crezonis, I would have been furious, but it was not. It was his henchwoman. If we hear she has been causing trouble, we will find her and kill her. It is that simple. But we let some of the others go. What is one more? Less trouble for us.
That did remind me of Solaria, and a thought occurred. I asked Aytal to find her and aided him using my own senses, leaning on Amani in the process. Though I must remember to always warn Amani when I do this as they later expressed some discomfort about it. Understandably so: I am much taller and heavier than them. This is my note to remember.
Anyway, my idea to send Aytal proved effective. A small, cute sable is much better than a tall firbolg, or elf in this case. Solaria responded positively and did as I hoped, following her, lured by Aytal. The others came with her but it hardly mattered to me. Once he returned, he climbed on my shoulder, although my disguise made it look like my head. She came just a little later, calling Aytal a weasel which he is not, but I ignored it. It was not worth it, and technically, he is of the same family.
We spoke of what she was going to do after this, what with her being a former bandit. She did not know and I suggested she find something else, away from Deyn, for her own sake, like I did with my clan when they rejected me. She took it rather poorly, for reasons I do not quite understand. I was merely trying to help someone I saw in a similar situation. Amani understood what I was trying to do and supported me, for which I am thankful, but Solaria still left. A shame. I hope she does not get into further trouble, or we might have to do with her as we did with her leader. I confess I would rather not. She has too many people who care for her; it would be troublesome.
I distracted myself from that by peeking at what Khamet was doing. Much like me, he has taken to journaling. It was curious: he was the last person I would expect to be writing. I managed to catch a small glimpse and what I saw intrigued me. He was writing about his homeland and what I believe could have been people he knew? I will have to take a further look somehow.
What I appreciated less were his insinuations that I partook in animal cruelty. The very idea of it sickens me! Indeed, I do eat meat but that is because it is the firbolg way of life. We would starve otherwise, especially in winter when everything else withers and we must live off what we gathered in autumn. I should have told him about the hunting methods we use, of how firbolgs will always try to bring down an animal with the least amount of suffering, the thanks we give as it lies dying and the rituals our druids conduct to pay homage to its spirit and the sacrifice it made so that our clan might live. Or tell him how no part of the animal is wasted. Perhaps I shall tell him later. Then he will understand, though I am not fully convinced. If I know anything about Khamet is that his skull can be quite thick.
We waited some time for Anthony to return from his rendezvous with the dragonborn. In the meantime, I tested the telepathic bond between myself and Aytal and how far it would go. Up to 100 feet. I could also dismiss him should I chose but I preferred him around my neck. It is simply nicer.
Eventually, Anthony did return, and to my confusion, he was covered in scars. I thought he had been attacked but he was not and he refused to talk about it? And for some reason Tally was praising him? I was and still am confused. Even when I asked him about it later, he refused to give me any answer that made sense. Whatever happened with the dragonborn must have been so bad that it had to be kept a secret, but then Anthony seemed happy and in good standing with her? I really will never understand him.
What is relevant to me is that he wanted to go look for Tyzol’s comb. Needing some further items from the town, I went with him, hoping perhaps he could aid me in my search. We spent a few hours looking through the ruins. Thankfully, there were very few people around to see me as my guise had worn off. In the end, it was worth it: I found what I required. The pearl is now in my pocket and I have already tested it.
Anthony also found the comb for Tyzol as she had lost her own. Furthermore, asked me if I could send her messages using my ability to make myself understood to animals. I agreed, especially since he was offering me a favour for it. This could come in useful. Though I still do not understand what happened between them. Unless…that’s disgusting. He had only just met her. I would accept such behaviour from an animal-they do not know better- but a human? Though it seems fitting for him.
Anyway, that is not important! We left Deyn with Crezonis in tow, heading for Zaihar. On the way, Khamet took an interest in Aytal, wondering where he came from. His skull is indeed thick: he thought I gave sentience to my own dung?! Does he not even understand magic, even a little?! This I did explain to him, despite how insane and outlandish this theory was. At least he is not hostile towards Aytal, and Aytal seems to like him, for whatever reason. Though he is a sweet fey: he so far has liked everyone. This does make me happy: it would be a shame if my dear friend did not like my travelling companions. After all, I do like them, for all their strangeness, annoyance and quirks. They are fun.
Walking through the forest, however, was not without incident. We encountered several giant spiders which simply materialised out of thin air. I had never seen creatures that were not fey do that! I did try to reason with them, asking them if we could have safe passage but they did not listen. Nevertheless, I was reluctant to hit them and in my reluctance, missed. It was up to my companions to dispatch them. Talsindra and Amani did an excellent job. Amani’s magical prowess, as usual, is to be admired. Talsindra’s martial prowess too, was excellent, despite her struggling with the sun. Perhaps I should learn to cast darkness to aid both her and myself.
Most amusingly, Basil attempted to ride and tame one. He must have been inspired by my acquisition of Aytal, judging by his words which were, I quote “Suck it, Meallán”. As if Aytal could compare to a spider.
Anthony also got poisoned. Again. At this point, even I had to feel sorry for the man, even if the first time was his own fault. I am quite grateful that it was not me who was hit. With my words having no effect on the spider, I backed away as far as I can. During this battle, despite the noise and chaos, I did hear a small voice in Sylvan saying hello as well as talking about a cool rock it found and numbers. I managed to glimpse the source: a small, dark-haired pixie. It, however, ignored me and did its own thing. It seemed unperturbed by the fight. What a curious little creature.
Eventually, the spiders disappeared as suddenly as they came. I really must find out what these creatures were as I had not encountered anything like them. With them out of the way, myself and Tally did our best to cure Anthony of his poison. Or rather, Tally determined that there was no poison, he was just hurt by the spider damaging him with poison. I cast one of the spells granted to me by my lady in my book for good measure. We did decide a rest would be good for him nevertheless.
At the end of the day, we made camp. Amani had some mushrooms and sorrel, both of which I was familiar with from Varentar. It brought back memories. Ones of Osi-father. He always enjoyed culinary experiments like this one.
I did cook the mushrooms eventually. I scribbled the recipe down for later use, if the opportunity arises. It was nice, albeit basic. I think he would have liked me doing this. Him and Alban-father did like it when I was doing mundane tasks like this and not…everything else.
With dinner over, I settled down to take my first watch. This did give me the opportunity to use the other ritual my lady Malka blessed me with, especially now that I had the pearl. I wanted to find out what weapons my companions were carrying, so I identified them.
First, Khamet. He carries with him an enormous cross between a key and a club which has enchantment and abjuration magic. It can unlock a certain demiplane and provide protection against demons, or what I assume is a demon. I think he will like it. It is a fitting weapon for him, given his demon obsession.
Next, Crezonis’s pike, which confirms what I knew: this is like my ring. It is an arcane focus, his commitment to Arcaito given form. I cannot attune to it but why would I want to? My dear lady Malka is everything I ever wanted in a patron. Arcaito is a cruel puppet master. She loves me, cares for me and wishes for me to reach my full potential. Why would I ever betray her? But this knowledge gives me some thoughts…I wonder what I could do with this pike.
My watch is at an end. It is time for me to wake Khamet and go to sleep. I think I’ll have Aytal tickle his nose to wake him. That should be fun.
Meallán Lynxheart
Session TenToday, at last, we made our way back to Ur Zaihar, Crezonis in tow. On the way, I got a chance to speak to the centaur regarding my findings about the properties of his pike. I had an idea that perhaps, if it was broken, his connection to Arcaito would be severed. I wanted to find out what he thought but regrettably, he knew nothing, or he was reluctant to share. Reluctance was certainly present: I could tell he was hesitant about me breaking the weapon. It clearly holds some value to him, though whether that it because of Arcaito or another reason. Here, Khamet interrupted me in my questionings in his usual manner- that is, with occasional attempts at backhanded insults- but he did bring up a good point: it is good to do it with experts around, just in case. Nevertheless, it is clear to me now that despite his defeat, Crezonis still has secrets I want to learn. I only hope these experts will share.
That is, if Crezonis is not executed by the authorities of Zaihar. The thought has occurred to me during the night of my watch and I took the chance to bring it up with Tally, as she was the one who did not wish for him to die in Deyn, by my hand or otherwise. She is a kind soul for wanting to save him and though I do not share her idealism, I do not wish to disappoint her by having Crezonis be executed. It would undo all her hard work. My proposal was that he lie, say he is killed and I use the journal that has been in my possession to prove that we took care of the bandit problem (I never did follow up on studying that journal…) I thought it was a good plan and a good compromise between the ideals of the group.
Amani and Tally, however, were not so keen on this idea. They wanted to tell the truth. To my surprise, Basil agreed with me, though it makes sense: a thief would not have an issue with lying. Surprisingly, the party was quite split on the idea. Not all of them trust Crezonis to not return to banditry, and understandably so.
We would have continued this conversation there and then but just at that moment, an extraordinary little creature came out of the forest. A humanoid speckled owl with short wings, wearing chainmail and carrying a glaive with a white flag embroidered with a green tree. It- or rather he- was a cute little creature. A creature that, turns out, had a most extraordinary mission. The first thing he asked was whether we had ever been possessed by a fey spirit. I admit, had it been my lady, the thought was rather appealing. Crezonis, funnily enough, answered in the negative, instead claiming an imaginary twin brother. Of course, he would: he would not wish to reveal his shameful connection. Though it was quite funny to listen to.
But that was not the answer Athenos- that was the little owl’s name- was looking for. It turns out he is on a quest granted to him by another fey (not my lady, though I had initially hoped it would be her) to find a mortal being that had been possessed by another fey spirit. Though, funnily enough, he knew nothing beyond that, nor even what he was supposed to do when he found them. He only knew it had moth wings. It got rather frustrating after a while. I do think he is on a fool’s errand with that little information, but I do admire his dedication, nevertheless. I quite like him: he’s rather sweet. Though he was repeating the same thing that Arcaito had said, which irked me a little: that fey could not lie.
Eventually, we took Athenos with us in the hopes that he would find some information in Zaihar. Watching him move was very sweet. He ran on all fours, prompting Aytal to even race him! When we got to the gates of the city (Crezonis had been suitably disguised and changed so he would not attract the guard’s attention; though nobody had agreed on my plan, we were still wanting to not arouse suspicion.) Anthony and Tally had passes, which allowed us into the city without much issue. I need to get myself one of those. It would my life so much easier.
Another thing that would make my life easier: Khamet finally understanding why animals deserve love and respect. Why does he not understand that they, being much simpler beings without deceit or ridiculous social rules are far better than humanoids. They do not reject one for arbitrary reasons: if you are kind to them, they are kind to you. They only wish to live. Why is that so difficult to understand? No sane being would look down on such simple, pure judgement. Sometimes he amuses me and sometimes he gets on my nerves greatly and this was one such occasion. Perhaps if he could be understood by them or was more in touch with nature he might understand. Humans.
Anthony departed to a tavern, which is so typical of him. Talsindra went to search for a guard in order that she may get an audience with the lords of Zaihar to speak regarding Crezonis. During it, she called us “trusted travelling companions”, and while I believe she does not fully trust me, that was still nice to hear. Our meeting with the lords will be at 7 pm tonight. We shall see what it shall bring.
I did take the time to show Tally the journal, wanting to see what she made of the fact that it implicated Crezonis as the leader of the bandits. I did not expect her to attempt to set it on fire, which I admit would be a simple enough solution but I do want to keep the journal. I told her I have no intention of giving it to the lords of Zaihar, which is true, unless this is the direction my travelling companions wish to go to. I only wish for Crezonis to remain alive for Talsindra’s sake. I do not personally care whether he lives or dies. For her sake, however, I hope she will work out what she is doing to convince them. I will do my best to help, but of course, there is only so much I can or care to do in this case. Amani wishes to tell the truth. I do not think this is a good idea myself but we can only wait and see.
With time to spare until the meeting, myself, Amani and Athenos went to Dyventian. I tried to leave Aytal with Talsindra just in case, though surprisingly, she was not comfortable with him. I found that odd: Tally seems like the sort to quite like small creatures, and Aytal is very loveable. I wonder if I should try to find out what made her uncomfortable.
Regardless, we made our way to the academy. On the way, we learned a fact that I very much need to remember in case I have any more secrets to share in front of Athenos: he speaks Sylvan. We learned this when Amani wanted to tell him the whole truth about Crezonis. I did not want to, but it came out anyway. I told Athenos about Lady Malka, and about Arcaito’s slander. Athenos did insist she could not lie because she is a fey, but I don’t think it’s quite true; by that same token, Arcaito could not lie and he certainly does. Rather, I believe my lady would not lie to me. I do hope that Athenos would provide a good ally for our fight against him.
Come to think of, I have not seen my lady for a while. She has spoken to me in my mind but I miss seeing her in person like I used to in Varentar. But I suppose here, she has less power. Manifesting is harder. So I shall wait as long as I must. It means the reunion will be much sweeter.
Annoyingly, when we got to Dyventian, there was a guard at the gates who I recognised as the one who had fallen off the wall back when we first chased Basil. How amusing to think of that back then, and now he is part of our team. The guard did not like what we did, however. It would have been amusing had they not been blocking our entrance. After some convincing, they let us in at the cost of the guard following us. That was irritating, and I did want to get rid of them, but Amani decided against it. A good thing too: it would have been a bad thing if we failed. Especially because the guard heard us. I need to try to be nice to them from now or, or else he would get suspicious.
We eventually made it into the library of Dyventian. Even it turned out to be useless, it was impressive to see this many books. Athenos and I immediately went for the shelves while Amani wandered away to look for the librarian. I set off to look for books on fey for Athenos, which I found, and books on magic for myself. I was disappointed. So many of the books are on druidic magic which to me is useless. If I had realised this, I would not have gone. Even the thought of it does make my blood boil, even now. Because of it, I barely found anything, certainly nothing worth recording. Athenos had better luck, and I am happy for him. Such dedication does deserve reward. He only found the names of local fey, which I admit was a touch disappointing. My lady deserves more recognition.
I really do need to be more careful with my disguise when I am in populated areas. Normally I am but my desire to learn magic overtook me. Because of this, I was seen in my true guise of a firbolg. Their name was Rinn and though they did not seem malicious, they were irritatingly perky. I tried to get them to not say anything using magic but they resisted. They did not seem to realise the significance of seeing one of my kin so far from Varentar but I do fear that they might figure it out. At least they do not know my name: I gave them my late father’s name. Let us hope they never realise what I am.
I am currently writing this in the library, hiding as far away as I can so I do not attract any more attention. Perhaps I ought to think of what we shall do during the meeting with the Lords of Zaihar. For Talsindra’s sake, I hope that she manages to save Crezonis from his intended fate.
Meallán Lynxheart
Session Eleven (and part of twelve)As I write this, I sit in Dyventain academy, bruised, exhausted and burned. It has only been a few hours since I last wrote but a lot has happened. It is best I start at the beginning.
Our appointed time for meeting the lords came. After I had left Dyventain, I had wandered away into the woods and stayed there, speaking with the animals, writing my last entry, playing with Aytal and pondering our next course of action. I re-joined the group, donning my elven disguise again. I was curious how this was going to do and what path she would take.
Amani had had better luck in Dyventain than I did. With the information I had found for Athenos last session and what they had found, we hypothesized that Arcaito was the fey that Athenos was looking for. This makes sense: Arcaito is an evil fey who possesses mortals. I hope Athenos hurts him, and badly. However, Amani also found a potential way for the bond between Crezonis and Arcaito to be broken. Rituals that can be used to ward him away which the nature mages at Dyventain could do. This came in very useful indeed for what we were about to do next.
On our meeting with the Lu’hais, I allowed Tally to take the lead. This is, after all, the mission that she chose to do. She seemed nervous. I have her some extra magical encouragement. Once prompted to speak by Lady Lu’hais, Tally gave her a rundown of the situation. She was honest, to my surprise, about everything, including Crezonis. It was the much more difficult path but one that, in hindsight, makes a great deal of sense for her: she is an idealist to the end. This was slightly ruined by Athenos mentioning the earlier lie that this was done by Crezonis’s evil twin brother, something that was highly amusing. Though it was our time to finally come clean with the lie, however unintentionally. At least we had more pressing concerns so Athenos did not have time to react badly.
Understandably, Lu’hais wanted Crezonis executed right away. After all the trouble we went through to keep him alive, everyone did their best to spare him and instead get him to be released from Arcaito’s grip. I did my best to speak to her and help. I still do not care whether he lives or dies; it is Arcaito I want. But if my companions wish for him to live, so be it.
Things did not go quite well. The guards would have attacked us if not for Khamet, surprisingly. He was quite persuasive. It is almost impressive. Crezonis, however, refused to defend himself, despite this being his trial. Pathetic. But from this, I learned a curious fact: he did not remember his possessions. I tried to argue to Lady Lu’hais this means that he should not be held responsible for his crimes, just to help the case, but she was not convinced.
Nevertheless, Lady Lu’hais allowed us a chance. We were told to go toDyventain and find out a way to break the pact. In the meantime, we were responsible. Tally took personal responsibility which was, once again, admirable, although she was not allowed to by the party. Myself excluded. I do not care for him. I do not want the responsibility. Myself and Amani also made it clear that Crezonis will be returned to Lu’hais should we fail.
We were guided to speak to Rauliso of Dyventain, so we returned to the school. During the time, Khamet took the time to be particularly annoying, asking how the weather is up here. I took the chance to show him by lifting him up to my height. I was never the strongest of my kin so doing this was very satisfying, even if it did not stop Khamet from continuing to be a thorn in my side.
We met with Grand Master Rauliso and gave him our situation: that we wish to get rid of possession by Arcaito. He did not quite know how to break the pact but he did believe that he could prevent Arcaito’s possession. This was indeed good news, although both he and Lu’hais asked us why we kept bringing Crezonis everywhere. What else were we supposed to do with him? Nevertheless, Tally took Crezonis away so we could talk more privately without Arcaito listening. I do wonder why Tally is so attached to saving him when it is so much effort. Aside from the fact that she has a good, idealistic heart.
With Crezonis out of the way, Rauliso told us it would take a week to create something to create something to interrupt the pact and lock Arcaito out. I also got him to look at the pike, the arcane focus, and got to know that breaking it would not be dangerous, even if it would not break the connection. That was all I needed. As soon as I can, I would like to break it and now I have confirmation that it can be done. I would have liked to help with the rituals but they were nature magic; something I could not do. Rauliso also insisted that all magic came from nature, and even if he is a respected scholar, he is wrong. If it was, I would have been able to master nature magic easily. When I channel my lady’s magic, it is effortless, not like the block I felt forging a connection with nature and channelling its magic with my clan.
Basil interrupted this debate with a very pressing question, one I also wanted to know about: could we kill Arcaito. Rauliso was inconclusive. Anthony mentioned something about Arcaito bleeding and us being able to kill him in a strange voice for some reason. But when I brought up the idea of a stronger fey killing Arcaito to Rauliso, he seemed positive. Oh, what I would not give to see my lady tear him apart for the insults he lobbed her way. That would show him. Like Anthony said, it could be a “thunder dome”, whatever that is. And Rauliso told us how to get to the Grasping Woods. I cannot wait. As soon as I gain more strength, like the one I had back then, I could fight him.
At that moment, we were interrupted by an apprentice bursting in rambling about a dark pit on the ground in the forest. He was an apprentice who found it. My curiosity was piqued, especially when they voiced a suspicion that it may be infernal or abyssal. It was my chance.
We went to get the others, though Tally stayed behind with Crezonis. I do wish she had not; it would have made things much easier in the future. At least Anthony was convinced to go after his initial reluctance. At least he did not get poisoned; I almost forfeited the favour he owed me.
The apprentices lead us to the hole and thanks to my lady’s gift, I could see into it. I still have not thanked her for it. But as we approached, a demonic spider creature rose up from the pit. It spoke as we approached. I realise later it had been waiting for Khamet: it called him the “god’s pet”. An insult I should perhaps save for later. But Khamet had something of its that it wanted.
I tried to speak to it in its own tongue, infernal, stepping forward towards the pit. It, however, ignored me, to my fury. That was when it hit me with fire, burning me very badly. At least it did not hit Aytal. He had managed to curl up behind my neck. The worst that happened to him was singed fur and fear. Just as well: I did not want to lose him.
After that, we had no choice: we fought the thing. Through the pain of my burns, I managed to summon enough concentration for a hex but I was unable to aim well enough to hit it. The apprentices left us alone to fight this thing. Surprisingly, Khamet offered me help and Anthony, as always played some appropriate music, which was oddly inspiring. With that, and my ability to see the demon, I was able to land a hit on it but did not dare to risk being burned again. I am eternally grateful for the magic of my kind that allows us to turn invisible.
At this moment, the demon spoke and revealed why it was here: to take the key that Khamet possessed which I had spoken of earlier in my journal. The one I had identified as a key to a demi-plane. Predictably, given his hatred of demons and stubbornness to make a capercaillie proud, Khamet refused. I do not know how to feel about this. On one hand, it meant the demon kept up its attack. On the other hand, I want to see what that key does. Khamet does not seem to understand its true potential. It is therefore up to me to learn.
Returning to the battle, I continued to attack the demon. I also attempted to lure it out of the pit, taunting it in its own tongue once again, hoping that it would take the bait. It did not, so, sparked on by fury, I resolved to keep hitting it until it backed down. Even if my companions could not see, I could. I had that blessing. I was certain I could kill it eventually. Even if it would take a long time. I moved inside the pit, burning Khamet and singing Aytal in the process. He was not badly hurt, since he managed to curl around, but I could feel the heat through our link. Nevertheless, I ordered him to stay with Khamet and help. Despite how annoying that paladin is, I did not want him to fall in battle.
My fury and immediate desire for revenge, however, was broken through by Athenos, who despite his tiny stature, was a wise one. He suggested something that I still curse myself for not realising: instead of taunting it, move away and let it come out. At this point, I simply wanted it out so I obeyed, getting ready to blast it. It worked: the spider demon came out and, channelling my anger, I hit it. Athenos was not so lucky and the demon landed a blow on the poor little creature. Amani tried to cast a spell they had cast before to great effect but the demon did not seem as hurt by it. Poor Amani; this battle was not going well for them.
I continued to blast the creature again and again, though keeping my distance. Slowly but surely, we were chipping away at it. With Aytal’s help, Khamet managed to land an attack but tried to run away. Whether it was cowardice (unlikely), overconfidence (possible) or plain old stupidity (very likely), Khamet immediately turned his back on the demon, which took the opportunity to bring him down. As I said earlier, I did not want him to die, no matter how annoying he is. He is still very entertaining. Luckily, Anthony had the same idea and healed him so I did not have to. This was very fortuitous: I prefer to attack.
At this point, Basil finally appeared out of hiding. The tiny halfling immediately attempted to mount the demon and ride him, much as he tried to do with the wasp and the spider! He is insane but I do admire his guts and his persistence, even if, as during those times, the demon refused to become his steed.
Once again, Athenos attacked, causing a thunderous boom as he hit him. I never expected the tiny owl to be so strong but I am very glad he is on our side. A powerful ally like that is good to have. Plus he is quite adorable. The demon began to go on the defensive, first asking Khamet for the key again and, upon being refused once again, screeched in anger. I was not near enough to be hurt but even my ears rang. Judging by Basil, that screech would have been even more incapacitating were I near.
Amani managed to hit it with a spell. It was getting desperate so it attempted to just steal the demiplanar key, but Khamet, once again in a fierce display of stubbornness, kept hold of it. The more I think about it, the more I realise I would do the same, albeit for different reasons. He thinks he won it fair and square and ergo, it is his. I would want to explore its power. Power is not something that should be given up easily.
Indeed, it did not seem like it would let go any time soon. I, seeing that the demon was not going to stop attacking, decided to try something new. Once again, I provoked it but this time, I cast a spell which made several duplicates of myself. I wanted it to hit those duplicates so it could not hit anybody again. Aytal assisted me in this: he ran between the duplicates, taunting the spider, making it unsure which one was real. And the tactic paid off! It struck one of my mirror images, shattering them. Renewed by my success, I continued to attack it.
Khamet attacked it too and the key glowed, almost as if it had exploded. I do wonder what that could be. It is something to note for later.
The demon was weakening but who should deal the final blow but Athenos?! That little owl struck it and then smote it, finally ending this battle. It was just as well; it was gruelling and exhausting. But we won!
My joy, however, was short-lived. I was burned, tired and my disguise had dropped so I had inadvertently revealed myself as a firbolg. Which would not be so bad if it was simply the group but the apprentices from Dyventain were also there. No matter. I am sure their gratitude will buy their silence and perhaps more.
The demon had been killed, and thankfully Basil had managed to dismount it without too much damage to himself. Doing my best not to look at its bloody corpse, I tried to find something to use but it had no notable items to speak of. I resigned myself to carrying a leg for Basil and Basil himself, simply because I could. I was too exhausted to complain.
I did end up dropping it at the edge of the forest as, along the way, Amani and Basil wandered away. Amani looked rather upset. I do hope they will be alright. Certainly if Basil attempts to steal from them again, he will pay.
We met up with Crezonis and Talsindra, who had been guarding him and missed this whole mess. I do wish she had been present; she is a strong fighter. But there is nothing to be done. Anthony and Khamet have left to buy armour while Talsindra has left for the night to return to the residence of the Lords of Ur. I now sit here alone with Crezonis, watching him, Aytal by my side. I feel less tired now. Perhaps I can explore the library while others are not occupied.
Meallán Lynxheart Session Twelvebrief addendum from my last entry: Aytal distracted Athenos from looking in my journal and got him to play. It was one of the sweetest things I had ever seen. For a moment, I felt like I was back home, watching the Varentari fey play with one another.
After I finished my last entry, I noticed Crezonis getting very agitated. Confinement was beginning to grate on him already. Despite him not being much for reading (something that is only to his detriment- he did not even know the difference between nature and arcane magic) I offered to bring him a book. He asked for something I hated, figuring that he would like that. Who was I to question such sound logic?
I went to the library, careful to avoid any elves who might be out this late at night. I had returned to my firbolg form now and did not wish to be spotted. Once in the library, I began to look for something to draw his interest but came up short. I certainly found things I enjoyed and wished to look at but did not want to linger long.
Nevertheless, I was spotted. Luckily, it was one who already knew what I was: Rinn. I was apprehensive but tried to be nice to her, at least for now. We did end up speaking about several curious things. She mentioned wishing to be a firbolg. I…I cannot blame her in some respects: I love the inherent magic of my kin and towering over other races. But being a firbolg means being part of their society. I am so, so glad to no longer be a part of that restrictive, repressive, traditional stagnant idiocy.
Most importantly, I found out she is a sorcerer! Different from Amani: her magic focuses more on storms. I found this out through an exchange: I told her where my magic comes from (or rather, told her as much as she wanted without revealing anything about my Lady; I do not yet know where I stand with Rinn to reveal that much) and she told me of her own powers. Powers which seem to give her quite a bit of grief. I managed to fix the binding on the book she ruined at least but there was no saving how waterlogged it was. She cannot yet control her power, which is why she lives in Dyventain: she hopes to learn to control her magic.
Her being a sorcerer changed everything. Suddenly, I was very glad she saw me: a second sorcerer ally would be invaluable, even more so if I could figure out where her magic comes from. I wonder if she sensed my excitement: she got rather uncomfortable when I questioned her too much, but I managed to get her to stay and give me a little more. I got the sense that Dyventain was not the place she should be. Much like me with my clan, it may not be the right environment to support her learnings. Given the amount of nature magic in both places, that is hardly surprising. I tried to give her the best advice I could based on my own experiences. Though she seemed sceptical, perhaps I sowed that seed in her mind. Besides, I think I will see Rinn again. Now that I know she is a sorcerer, I have all week to seek her out, and I shall.
I merely must remember that she only knows me by my birth father’s name.
I will be staying in Dyventain for this week, at least nominally so. I took a bed in the school dormitories, but I will not sleep in it. I simply wish to have an excuse to come and go into the school as I please. This is especially fortunate if I am to try to speak to Rinn during this week.
Tomorrow, we shall see what the day brings.
Meallán Lynxheart
***
Tally, Amani and Basil were missing in the morning. This did give me a little concern as they are valuable companions of mine. Searching for Amani and Basil, however, yielded no clues. I last saw them in the forest, except they had not returned. I hope they will be alright, Amani especially. They are strong, they can take care of themselves, but they did seem rather upset. If the halfling steals from them again, even though he has ingratiated himself to me, he will feel my anger.
With that search coming up short, Me, Khamet and Anthony set out to look for Talsindra. That, mercifully, was much easier than finding Amani. Once we were in the city, it was easy to pick a drow out from a crowd of wood elves. Better yet, she was not alone. There was a second drow with her. We approached her, and though we were not stealthy, she was so engrossed in speaking with this drow lady that she did not see us. We got to overhear some interesting things, such as her opinions of all of us.
I did not hear her thoughts on Anthony and Basil, as I was not close enough, but I heard others. Amani, she thinks is amazing but could be devastating if working for the wrong person, an assessment I agree with. I, at least, plan to keep them from that path. Unless of course, she considers me the wrong person at some point. Which I was surprised to find out she does not, at least not quite.
What I did shocked her the most, that I did know. However, Tally thinks that I have focused on my own survival for too long. At the time, when I heard this, I did not think much of it, only felt relief that she does not mistrust me as much as I thought. Reflecting on it now, however, as I write this in my journal…she is right, in a way. I never thought of how I lived as simply surviving but now I realise that for most of my life, living amongst my clan, all I was doing was surviving. It is only in the past two months that I have begun thriving. All it reinforces is the idea that I should have left much sooner, perhaps even as soon as I met my lady. Left firbolg society behind without a care for the consequences of such an action. That way I would still be here, alone, but-
No, no, I refuse to dwell on that. I cannot! Not if I want to leave it behind and forget.
Continuing with Tally’s assessments of our group, her judgement of Khamet was the funniest. She thinks that his inane ramblings are actually some clever manipulations! Also, he is not “ridiculously handsome” as she put it. Perhaps he is a little handsome, but I only say that because I have eyes.
It was at this point that I chose to interrupt, since I had heard enough and I risked giving myself away by laughing. Once we had gotten the pleasantries out of the way and told Tally that we had a good reason for abandoning her last night, Khamet, with his usual eternal tact, asked the other drow if she was Tally’s girlfriend. She (we later learned her name: Alyzraena) to her credit, retorted by asking if me and Anthony were Khamet’s boyfriends. I did not know what to say at the time but I say now that the thought is highly repulsive. Khamet, meanwhile, responded by labelling me as his best friend, albeit at an extremely low ranking. darned by faint praise at the finest. If it was not so ridiculous, as much of his words are, it would be insulting.
I was also amazed that he could not tell that the two drow were girlfriends, or “baes” to use the drow word. I may have functional eyes but I do wonder if Khamet does sometimes. Despite this not unexpected stupidity on the paladin’s behalf, meeting Alyzraena was pleasant. I can see why Tally likes her so much. She has a gentle air but beneath that, it feels like she has a good, insightful head on her shoulders. Whether she shares Tally’s pursuit of ideals is yet to be seen.
It is at this point that I became aware of the guards with Talsindra and Alyzraena. However, I got no explanation for it from them. I did get the sense they were not there to guard prisoners. The two drow were free to walk wherever they pleased; apparently, they were on their way to see an interesting flower. Nevertheless, the extra guards did set me on edge. If Tally trusted her girlfriend, I felt like I could trust her but I was not so sure of the guards.
Aytal, however, has no such hang-ups, blessed creature that he is. He wanted to investigate Alyzraena and I allowed him to indulge his curiosity. Remembering Tally’s discomfort, he at least remained by her feet and did not climb up on her shoulders. The introduction went quite well. Aytal even attempted to give her a handshake. It was very sweet.
We wandered around for a short while looking for this flower. During this time, Khamet chose to speak to me. While wary at first, the more he spoke, the more fearful I got. People had apparently seen me in the woods as a firbolg! Or at least, some drunk guy in a tavern, though Khamet could not give me a proper description. I think, in his usual roundabout way, he was trying to warn me to be careful. Though he spoke far more loudly than he should have done: his voice caught the attention of one of the guards.
Nevertheless, this did give me the opportunity to ask the guard about this. In the process, I did manage to tell them about the demon that we killed. Perhaps they will relay that back. However, they had not seen any firbolgs. I wondered for a second if Khamet was making this up, but I could not risk it. I do not want attention. I tried to explain it to him but as usual, the fool continued his rambles. In the process, he asked me if my clan banished me, or to quote him “kicked you out”.
I do not think he realises how much that stung. I myself was shocked by how much that stung, especially coming from his mouth so casually. How dare he?! He clearly does not know or care about the significance of such a statement, instead ascribing some foolish projections of racism or what have you on to me. Given some of his statements such as wood elves looking the same or the disregard, he shows my kind, he should clean up his own act first.
I hate how deep he digs. I hate how perceptive he can be even if he does not realise. It was here that I could see Tally’s point about him. Amidst his inanity, there are some genuinely cutting things.
Speaking of Tally, she was a saviour. She provided some distraction, whether intentional or not. Specifically, she wanted me to reveal my secret to Alyzraena. I had presented myself as an elf to her, but Tally did not want to keep the secret. I could understand that: she and her girlfriend share so much and she is so open and kind; it would hurt her to hide this from her. I felt like I could trust Alyzraena, especially as Tally trusted her. So I did. She was added to the alarming list of people who know about me. At least, the ones I know. There are many more around Ur Zaihar that know of me that I do not know about. I admit, the thought fills me with a deep sense of dread.
We continued our quest for the flower. To help, I sent Aytal up ahead to search. He delivered, finding a beautiful, shimmering flower. He wanted to be stroked but she, like Tally, did not enjoy that so much so I recalled him. I do not understand what it is with drow and not liking small creatures.
Wanting to be alone, Tally and Alyzraena took the opportunity to slip away from us. The guard also left, allowing us to speak freely. Khamet took the opportunity to fill me in on earlier situation. Not only was there a drunk guy but guards looking for information on the firbolg! I thought for a moment that he wished to sell me out but rather, he wished to help me. He got a letter from Rauliso to say that I was harmless. It saved me from even having to speak to the guards! That…was utterly unexpected. Even if he does not understand me and my ways, he was still willing to grant me at least some measure of desired privacy. For all of my irritation at him, I can appreciate that. Between him and Talsindra extending me a greater amount of friendship than previously expected, I think this is progress. I too, do not want to lose their companionship, or perhaps even friendship. Though in the case of Khamet, he irritates me too much for it to be called a ‘friendship’. Amusing as he can be sometimes. I still do not understand why Aytal likes him so much.
Nevertheless, I like this. It is nice to have people who I consider somewhat friends. Previously, my only friends had been animals and fey creatures such as Aytal. I hope this lasts. As long as they do not know the truth, I suppose it will. I must keep all my secrets.
Meallán Lynxheart DowntimeI have been looking over the copious amounts of research notes I have written in this journal over the past week and it occurs to me that many of them are just that: notes. There is very little to tie them together. More to the point, I cannot sleep. Tonight is the first proper conversation I have had with my Lady for so long. I am still quivering with excitement. And tomorrow, we find out Crezonis’s fate and whether the mages of Dyventain have succeeded in blocking Arcaito out. That is an answer I am curious to see. Not to mention I am trying out a spell I have gained during this week for the first time today. I want to see if it is fully effective for as long as I can, especially since I do not have Aytal with me at the moment. Amani got him as a reward for doing well in their lesson.
I suppose the best way to solve all these problems is to write down the events of the past week, or at least that which remains in my memory. That will keep me occupied and will give my research some grounding, as well as perhaps dredge up a few more facts I should write down.
I was originally going to search for one specific spell throughout this whole week and transcribe it but both facts proved surprisingly easy. First, I needed magical paper and ink to transcribe the spell so it would retain its potency. I managed to acquire half from Rauliso and half from the apprentices we saved from the demon. The latter parted with their stores happily once I reminded them of the aid we gave them and implied that I will be using their materials to save more lives.
With that out of the way, it was time to research. I…procured a cloak from a student staying in the same dormitory as I allegedly am. They have looked for it and of course, I denied all knowledge. It has proven too useful in hiding my ears and face. There is nothing to be done about my height, and I have noticed many an odd look cast my way but nobody bothered me at least. I feel most are too polite. Nevertheless, I still prefer being in disguise if possible. Without it, among these elves, I feel exposed.
I do have a new guise for when the high elf is not suitable. Mixing and matching features, I can now disguise myself in a form similar to the guard who myself and Amani encountered when hunting Basil (how long ago this seems now, when I did not even know their names) and the one we later met the first time we came to the library. In that form, I dug through Dyventain’s many shelves. I found what I was looking for very quickly. In fact, more than I asked for: two spells instead of one. This library is so curious: when looking for general information, it is not helpful at all, but finding something so specific took barely a few hours. And here I was thinking I would need to spend the entire week!
Sadly, I could only transcribe one, so I made my choice. As appealing as being able to comprehend all languages was, being made aware of threats was more useful. I took that particular book out into the woods to work and within the hour, I had finished my transcription. This is the ritual I am testing as I write in my journal here.
The rest of the research I found was done alongside the sorcerer I met earlier, Rinn, the one who I said I would follow up on. As well as the research, my experience with her was quite fascinating. I found her very easily: she is poor at hiding. Though I was in my new guise, she did recognise me thanks to Aytal. No other wood elf here has a sable, let alone such a beautiful one with such a thick tail as Aytal. Something which is to their detriment.
She happily agreed to help me with my work. With her aid, I was able to comb the library more efficiently as she knew where to go and what books to use better than I. Rinn also took quite a liking to Aytal, which I am pleased to say was mutual. He spent a lot of time on her knees, by her hand or around her shoulders on occasion, receiving plenty of attention and affection. I allowed him. Who am I to deny Aytal a new friend? Especially since he warmed Rinn to me by extension.
She was so curious about him too. She was used to fey being dangerous, luring people away. Which is no surprise, given Arcaito is from this land, but I was nevertheless happy that Aytal proved to be an exception. He is exceptional even without that, even if I say so myself. It is strange for me to think of fey as dangerous, even knowing of Arcaito. I know of them as good creatures, good companions and good friends. Even, in one case, as my deepest, fondest love, my everything.
The fruits of our labours are detailed in the previous pages of the journal. It is…less than I hoped, which simply further proves my earlier hypothesis. I believe I have exhausted what precious little resources Dyventain has to offer me. However, it gives some avenues to pursue.
Looking at them again, training, physical and mental, is my most reliable method, though one that will take too long. Ideally I wish to do it while chasing another goal. The Evertemple and the Temple of Vinistra have some study of magic, though given it is divine in nature, I have doubts on how well I can grasp that. I have no desire to commit to a faith any time soon. The monastery is curious. I wonder if this is where Tally trained? I must ask her when I see her tomorrow. I think the best leads I have are the two following: the Dawnweaver circlet in the Evertemple and Cai Shaan. I would like to see if the rumours about the Dawnweaver granting abilities like reading minds are true (I shiver to imagine what I could do if I could read minds. How easy it would be to bend people to my will) but the priests there are more than likely beyond my capability alone and my companions (or at least some of them) would object to stealing from holy people. So I put that aside for now. But Cai Shaan, with its wizard school and trade in magical items, that is full of potential. Even my lady thinks so; therefore it must be the right course of action.
Rinn herself, I also learned a little of. Though we could not converse much in the library, I tired to talk to her when possible. We did go to see a magic show together one evening, which while did not let me learn much besides seeing beautiful lights and shapes, was good for bonding. She has such great potential but is hindered by self-doubt. I did think her reluctance for magic was due to everyone here dismissing her, but I do see I was wrong to some extent.
In exchange for my own show of force, I tried to coax her to demonstrate some magic for me. She showed me her ability to control the wind and a cantrip she knew. There is not much beyond that. If allowed to rise to the height of her power, much like a storm, she might be able to sink ships. I can only imagine wielding such a power! But, sadly, developing and growing that power is not her passion. Rinn, on the contrary, seems to enjoy herbs and wishes to be a herbalist.
It feels like such a waste. There is nothing wrong with herbs. They were and are a mainstay of firbolg society, from medicine to magic to food (I so fondly remember our home’s...unique smell). That, however, is why it is so wasteful. Anybody can be a herbalist. Not everyone has the power to bend nature to their will.
She really would have made an excellent firbolg. If only our places were reversed. What I would not give to have been born a sorcerer.
But perhaps I could make up for it by having a sorcerer or two as allies or even as followers. I must simply continue to work on gaining both her trust and Amani’s.
I did introduce Rinn to Amani when I went to go over Sylvan lessons with the latter. She was visibly excited to meet another sorcerer. Amani less so, given their nature, but they seemed to warm to her well enough. Both of them spoke about their powers and Rinn asked for advice on how to control her own powers. Amani seemed to genuinely help her by suggesting meditation. I am glad they did: part of my reason for bringing them together was to see if Amani could aid Rinn somehow using their knowledge, to allow Rinn to realise her full potential.
Once introductions were complete, Amani demonstrated their sylvan to me. They have greatly improved. We held a conversation fully in Sylvan and while I -or rather Aytal, who I positioned on Amani’s shoulder and had him bat them with his paw whenever they made a mistake- corrected them. They still need to work on where to stress their words in the majority of cases but they are getting the grammar correct now and have greatly expanded their vocabulary. I think in the evenings, during travel, we should continue to practice.
We did have an interesting conversation too. I learned some fascinating things. For one, the fey Surati, who I had seen once in the forest when we were still looking for Crezonis, has also appeared to Amani. Furthermore, it was here, around Ur Zaihar. Surati, I suspect, is following us, for what purpose, I do not know. It does make sense they would have an affinity with Amani; both are, after all, beings connected to shadow. Though it seems Surati has been as coy with Amani as with me so that is yet to be seen.
Amani also asked me some interesting questions: namely, what element is my lady and whether she knows any fey? To my shame, I was unable to give them a proper answer. It occurred to me suddenly that, even though I had known her for years, even though she is everything to me, I barely know anything about her. Following their questioning, I did not even know why she chose me to teach. It shook me a little.
It shook me so much that I decided to ask her. It is why I am here now, in the forest at night. We had a proper conversation, like the old days, although I still have not seen her. She soothed my mind.
I do not know why I would ever doubt if she knows other archfey. It makes sense she does and, if they are mostly like Arcaito, why she would not introduce me to them. The way she makes them sound, I do not wish to meet them. I also think I discerned her element: magic, different from most other archfey. As I thought.
As for why she chose me: she sees potential in me to become so much more than I ever dreamed. I believe her. I cannot wait. I want it so badly I cannot even describe my desire. I am honoured to be her chosen. Furthermore, she also thinks I can learn from my companions, all of them. Even Khamet! I am happy she approves of them all and wants me to travel with them too. I always wondered what she would think of them.
Returning to my conversation with Amani, they also gave me some interesting information. While on their own, in Dyventain doing research, Amani came across the name of an archfey named Vystris. An archfey, far away, who had been killed. I had heard the name but I did not know of him beyond the fact that he had died. Yet I did not know he had been killed by mortals. One of the mortals had died in the process, although neither Amani nor myself were clear whether it was the result of fighting the fey or not. I think it is worth looking into. They think so too, for the same reason I do: to gather information on fighting Arcaito, for when we eventually do that.
One thing I did learn as well during my research: a fey’s own true name is power should you confront them with it. We must try to find Arcaito’s true name, somehow.
In the meantime, we have deprived Arcaito of Crezonis, or at least the mages of Dyventain have cut him off. Assuming their bracelet and rituals hold. Of course, Crezonis could be executed by the lords of Ur. This would be a far better solution as far as Arcaito is concerned. We should have killed Crezonis sooner instead of going this far to reach the same solution but this way, his blood is not on our hands, which the majority seems to prefer. For some strange reason: it makes no difference in the end.
Although this does remind me: I did get to witness some of what they were doing to Crezonis in Dyventan. While wandering through the school, I saw an elf in a squirrel mask near where Crezonis was being held. I had heard that Dyventain takes measures against Arcaito and wanted to know what they were, so I followed, disguised as a wood elf again so I would not raise suspicion. This, funnily enough, was a mistake. The master and student at the door stopped me. I tried to persuade them, invoked Rauliso, even used magic as per my lady’s suggestion to get them to let me past but they would not shift.
I then took a gamble and introduced myself to them in firbolg form. I would not have done that but I knew thanks to Khamet that there was already an awareness of a firbolg going around Zaihar. At least this way I could pretend I was checking on Crezonis. And they let me in! Just like that! It was that easy.
I only got to see the tail end of what was being done. Athenos was there, sleeping, and Crezonis was lying down while the masked individual was working. I watched them for a while, noting their gestures and patterns. I took most of it down while interviewing the apprentice who was working and it can be found in my research notes, page 10.
They wear masks so the archfey cannot recognise them and hunt them down. In order to create the bracelet for Crezonis, they were taking readings of his arcane signature, which changed depending on what Arcaito was doing with him but it would only teach them about what was happening to Crezonis. Nothing about Arcaito himself. The talisman’s only effect would be that it blocks him from entering Crezonis’s mind. They did mention they did not know whether he was truly possessed or not, which harkens back to my point about him being killed by the Lords of Ur: if he was not truly possessed, he is as good as dead.
In short, nothing that could help us fight Arcaito. The master did mention a way to repel any psychic assault by the archfey by tracing how it affects the mind, which may be useful should Arcaito decide to possess one of us. I must learn this. The master did not have time to teach me but she may be a useful resource. Her name is Master Aubryl, for the future.
After this, I remembered that I had one more thing to do. I went out into the woods with Crezonis’s pike and there, shattered it. It was…disappointingly anticlimactic. I have kept the end of it. If this opens me to Arcaito’s influence, so be it. I am confident I can repel him with my Lady Malka’s aid. If not, if nothing else, it would make a good makeshift blade, though this is a last resort.
I am not afraid of Arcaito. Amani might be, the students and masters of Dyventain might be but I am not. I am confident in my lady’s power over him.
We need to gain further strength. Not just through magic items but practice. I must practice so I can channel more of my lady’s power. Take on various jobs, even become mercenaries, as came up during my discussion with Amani. I think it could be fun!
One step at a time. Tomorrow, we meet with the others to see what to do with Crezonis. I will ask them whether we can go up to Cai Shaan to speak with the Master of Trade. Even my lady thinks this is the course of action I must pursue, unless of course, something greater comes up. We shall see. For now, I have my course.
Meallán Lynxheart Session ThirteenIt has been a long, long day.
Today was the day we were supposed to find out whether the elves at Dyventain had succeeded in cutting the link between Crezonis and Arcaito. It was…certainly a sight to behold.
That morning, we were given notice to meet at the school in half an hour. As much as I enjoyed the study time alone and with Rinn, it was still a pleasure to see my companions again after the week. Since there was nobody there who did not know my secret, I took the risk of appearing as I was. I did get some looks, and I felt very exposed but it was surprisingly fine in that regard. I still desire the cover of a disguise whenever I am outside in the general public but since it is draining to me to use my innate magic, I must remember to make use of it as sparingly as I can. Especially since I have now acquired that cloak.
Once we had all assembled, Aubryl gave me the bracelet they had fashioned in order to cut off the link between Crezonis and Arcaito. She wanted us to do it. I, however, felt it was only right for Tally to do it. After all, she was the one who allowed Crezonis this chance.
However, as she approached him, Crezonis’ eyes went green: Arcaito had come into his mind again. Moreover, he wanted to arrange a deal with us! The nerve of him! Understandably, the rest of my companions, especially Amani, wanted nothing to do with him. I, however, wanted to hear what he had to say. Nevertheless, whatever he asked for, I had no intention of saying yes. I was simply curious to know what sort of proposal he had when backed into a corner. I also wanted the joy of turning him down.
What he wanted from us was components for a ritual to break the link between him and Crezonis. This was laughable. There would have been no need for the bracelet. But Arcaito could have freely picked another “chosen” without us knowing who that chosen was, let alone where they were. This was, of course, unacceptable. He tried to use all sorts of arguments and honeyed words but the fact stood: this would only benefit him.
Tally did her best to put on the bracelet but despite her great dexterity, she failed. Crezonis puppeted by Arcaito wrested her off. He continued to try to persuade us into giving him what he wanted, as if we could ever do that after all the trouble, he had caused for us. We held all the cards. The worst he could do was kill Crezonis, and he admitted himself it would be a great drain on his resources.
During all this, it was revealed that Khamet has no idea how any of this works. He thought it was more like his god, Anhur. Unsurprising, given his distaste for warlocks and his usual lack of ability to look past himself. Though his suggestion that Crezonis is kept at Dyventain for tea parties was amusing.
Tally continued to try. I attempted to help but my magic did not work on Arcaito. Khamet then tried to distract Crezonis in tandem with Tally while putting on the bracelet. All of this failed. In hindsight, it is almost comical but at the time, it was very annoying.
Sick of this, I decided to try. Arcaito said he would kill Crezonis but I did not care. I wanted to defeat this archfey, to prove that I- or even we- are better. I turned invisible and snuck up on him, but he just barely managed to get out of my grip by a hair. It looked like indeed, Crezonis might die and all the time and energy put into him would be for nothing.
This was when Anthony used Sleep on him. And unlike everything else, it worked! I did not admit it but I was impressed at his quick thinking and his magic skills, even if I still cannot work out where they come from. Partially, however, I was also irritated that nothing I did helped but the situation was contained. Anthony did indeed save us all a lot of trouble. Our efforts were not wasted and Crezonis did not have to die. Certainly Tally and Khamet would have been upset about that.
With that, the bracelet was fixed on and the situation defused. It did remind me, however, to chase Master Aubryl about her promise to teach me what she has done with that bracelet. Specifically, how to defend oneself from psychic attacks. Which I did later. Right now, it is important to finish the story of Crezonis.
He awoke with his normal eye colour, speaking in Sylvan. It worked- he said as much- but he does not yet know if it is a good thing. I do not know how it could not be? He is free from Arcaito and Arcaito cannot form another pact. We beat him. That is what matters. But such a worry is par for the course for Crezonis.
Just to be sure, I had Aytal watch Crezonis for a short while but once it became clear that Crezonis’ was truly himself, I drew Aytal back. I prefer having him by my side.
The lords ushered us away to present us with a reward, something Anthony was greatly excited about. Anzi came with them and Khamet engaged in conversation with him. I was not paying much attention until I heard them speaking about Aytal. Khamet continues to insist upon this ridiculous myth that Aytal is made out of dung! I attempted to correct him but nothing gets through his thick skull once he gets an idea in his head.
He also tried to insult me in Sylvan but his tone and pronunciation, and indeed words, were completely the opposite of what he intended. That was pleasant, for a short time, to prove my knowledge to him. However, what he intended to say was infuriating.
He implied as Arcaito had: that my lady is not a fey.
Even now, my hands shake with fury at the implication. Arcaito saying it was bad enough but one of my companions actually believing him?! Khamet believes it is because fey cannot lie and so Arcaito claiming that she is not a fey is enough proof. As if we all don’t know that Arcaito is a creature who will twist the truth as much as possible to suit his own needs.
And the worst part was? I felt my own faith shake.
I could barely stand to be around him. I took my payment and left. I found a nice wooded area and closed my eyes. Running my fingers through Aytal’s fur, it felt almost like I was back home. The only thing missing was the strong scent of pine.
In forests like that, I met my lady. It seemed impossible that she could be anything but a fey, and yet, one of my companions, someone who is not my enemy, said that. I thought Arcaito was just digging into my mind, preying on my past experiences, but no. He was drawing that from…something. I did not know what, nor did I like to think about it at the time.
I did not know how long I was there before Amani approached me. They had spoken to Khamet before they came to me and checked to see if I was alright. I was really touched. I felt like I could trust them. So I told them. About my banishment. About what they said about my lady Malka, what she was and how dangerous she could be to the clan. I told them about my refusal to give her up and the price I paid for it: everything dear to me except her.
She has to be a fey because what else can she be? That would mean that for years now, she has been lying for me, for whatever purpose. That everything we are is based on a lie. So everything I have done for her would be for nothing. If she is not a fey, I do not know what I would do.
I love her so much. She is everything to me, especially now that I do not have my clan anymore or…or my fathers. I have to believe she is being honest with me, because to imply she is hiding the truth from me, for whatever reason, would break the trust I have in her. And what would it mean for me that she chose me? Would anything else she said be true if she lies about something so great? Do I even want to know what she is if this is the case?
I said this much to Amani. They offered as much comfort as they could, given the situation, and I appreciated it. It was nice to have someone there to help me work through these difficult questions, even if they did not help calm the storm in my head. I have never had someone who I could call a friend like them. I can only hope they too do not betray my trust. But they seem honest enough. For now, I want to believe in them, like I believe in my Lady Malka.
Nevertheless, I decided to ask my lady this. I can only wait anxiously for her reply.
In the meantime, I went to speak with Master Aubryl as promised, hoping to get my mind off this. I have recorded what she said in detail earlier during my actual visit for future reference, but what I learned was highly fascinating. I have begun to understand how Arcaito works and how that bracelet kept him out. It also is good information for me what I must do to prepare for the eventual confrontation between me and that archfey. I must find ways to strengthen my psychic barriers and figure out his abilities in full so I may defend against them.
What she said also piqued my curiosity: apparently, such a possession as Arcaito’s has not been seen before in her lifetime. Elves live long. I wonder how long it has been since Arcaito did this, if ever. She is worried about him retaliating, and justifiably so. Part of me wished to stay behind and help, if only to get to further fight Arcaito. However, I have my own tasks. My lady wishes me to head to Cai Shaan, and that is what I shall do. The masters here are more than capable of looking after themselves.
One thing in the creation of the bracelet which was essential was reading an arcane signature. She taught me to try to read hers and I was such a pleasant surprise to figure it out. Even with my lady’s teachings, before she lent me her power, magic did not come easily to me, to say nothing of the nature magic my clan practised. I greatly enjoyed the process. I think she too, was impressed with my aptitude, something which filled me with great joy. I do enjoy being praised.
Reading the signature itself was fascinating. I was not sure of the full scope of what I saw but yellow was there. It was pleasant. Like sunshine filtering through a dappled autumn forest. The master explained that was only what focusing on the signature does to one’s mind. It does not bear much significance.
I did ask her also if it was possible to read my own arcane signature. She said no, only someone else could study him for a while. She offered to read mine but I declined. I did not wish her to know about my lady, given how much trouble they had with another fey, and I am uncomfortable about someone else peering into my soul.
One thing she did say which stung, albeit unintentionally, was that she would have liked me as a pupil. I…it was very pleasant to receive the compliment. Nobody else had ever said such a thing in my life. But I feel I would have quickly felt stifled by her and Dyventain. So I politely told her I wanted to forge my own path. To her credit, she understood, but she is a high level mage. It is natural one such as her would know.
After that, I met with Amani again to see if we could find out more information about Vystris. However, we found nothing that we did not know already. During this trip though, I proposed that they and the others go with me to Cai Shaan. Amani was against this, for reasons I do not fully understand. Despite all attempts, we could not reach an agreement.
We reconvened with the party, where Tally was talking to the Lords of Ur. I confess, I should have paid more attention, but at this point, Aytal became very interested in Khamet’s journal. He tried to climb under it, and even though I discouraged him by teleporting him back to me. I suppose it is natural, given his preferred form. Non-fey sables are very curious and do enjoy climbing into tree holes. I admit, it was amusing watching Khamet be annoyed. I even peered through Aytal’s eyes at it.
However, that was not what distracted me. In response to Aytal climbing all over him and sitting in his journal, Khamet read him some of his writings. They were…indescribable. I am glad that man is a paladin because he would have no career as a writer. It was like watching a disaster unfold in front of you which you could not turn away from. He also reduced us all to simple caricatures and claims he did not base them on anything else! At least Aytal enjoyed it. There is no accounting for taste.
At least Khamet did have some use: while in the city, he found out rumours about a giant squid attacking Cai Shaan. This was enough for Amani to agree to go; they figured it was good practice. I cannot agree more. Tally was a little more hesitant to come with us but she apparently has a letter to deliver from Crezonis to…somebody near Cai Shaan. Another centaur? Family of his? I admit, my curiosity is piqued. I am sure they would be delighted to know what he has become, if perhaps not so delighted to know what a coward he is. But I am glad she agreed to come with us. Tally is…I like having her around. She is very kind.
I had also completely forgotten that Amani had the amethyst pendant from the bandit cave. Today, they gave it back to me. It was, sadly, not magical. I am sure I will find use for it later.
As we were getting ready to leave, however, Rauliso took me aside and delivered news that terrified me. It was about the firbolg who had been spotted. We all thought it was me. But that firbolg did not respond to common or elvish, and it was horrifically scarred. Even if I retained my composure, this terrified me to my core. I asked Rauliso to send me a message. However, I was torn. On one hand, I wanted to avoid my kind. On the other hand, I needed to calm my worries about this.
My companions more or less decided things for me. Khamet wanted to find out about this firbolg, mainly because he took a job to find out and thought he had completed it when in fact, he had not. I do not know whether I admire this sense of honour or think it is ridiculous. He also made veiled insults about my kind but I am used to that now. Tally, at least offered a sensible solution: have a look and see. Amani also helped in suggesting to get a bird’s eye view, to which I responded by deciding to reshape Aytal’s form. I had never done this before. I hoped he would take it well.
I bought my ingredients, with some mishaps due to Amani having a moment, and set up a ritual place in the woods. This time, I was intent on getting Khamet to watch so he would at least clear up some of his idiotic misconceptions. Unfortunately, I barely started before Tally can back to us, chased by several elves from Zaihar who were intent on attacking her. I did not even have time to think before I had snuffed the ritual incense and began to counterattack them. Just seeing Tally in that situation made me act. And why not? She is a good person. She does not deserve that. She even tried to get us all to stop fighting even though they attacked her first? I do not understand why she would do that. Then again, it is Tally. She hates all killing and hurting.
Alas, fight we had to, since our opponents refused to back down. My first strike managed to land true but that unfortunately attracted the attention of one of their leaders who blasted me with flames from a circlet they had. Amani managed to spook a few of them, giving Anthony the chance to hit a few as they ran. I asked Aytal to help those who were attacking in melee and he did, though I question his choices: first Khamet, then Basil.
The elves kept trying to grab Tally but she was far too quick for them, even though she continued to refuse to fight. I tried to cast a spell on the elf with the circlet to disable them, make sure they would not hurt me again, but they resisted it. Their luck, however, ran out with Amani. Thanks to them disabling the elf and my invisibility, I managed to snatch the circlet from them. I need to remember to identify it. It would certainly be useful.
More and more of the elves fled as they lost their nerve. Tally managed to overcome some of her qualms and at least fought back in so far as defending us. Eventually, the elves surrendered. We took the elf with the circlet and several of their friends hostage. We asked them why they were doing this (with Khamet not missing an opportunity to insult me in the process).
Th elf was frantic but did manage to give a coherent explanation: they attacked Tally because she is a drow. They were not going to kill her but use her as bait to get Alyzraena to them as well. This is ridiculous! I have heard stories of the drow, of course, but Tally and her girlfriend are nothing like those stories! Taking that anger out on Tally was…it infuriated me. I could barely contain myself, especially when he insulted her like that. She deserves better!
I was surprised how unfazed she was. In fact, she was utterly calm, even agreeing with their assessments of the drow. She also did not understand why we defended her. Why not? She is worthy of protection. I even dared to call her a friend, and I mean it. I will never understand her.
As we now had two goals, part of our group went to deliver these elves to the guards while I stayed behind with Khamet and Basil to finish turning Aytal into a falcon. Basil stayed because he did not wish to speak to the guards and Khamet I insisted must stay to see how this ritual is done properly instead of whatever he imagines using his foul mind.
(TBC) Session FourteenDespite my best efforts, Khamet did not pay much attention to seeing how my summoning was conducted properly. He will continue to make jokes about dung until the day the sun burns out. Nevertheless, in spite of this annoyance, I managed to focus. During the ritual, my dear lady spoke to me. She had sensed my doubt about her fey nature and gave me the sweetest words of assurance. Arcaito is mistaken, like they all were. Either he has the wrong information or perhaps, most likely, some other being has taken his identity. That would explain so much. After all, what archfey would treat someone like Arcaito treated Crezonis?
With my mood thus lifted, I completed the ritual, transforming Aytal into a beautiful falcon that I had seen nest in spring in the less dense parts of my forest homeland. Being Aytal, however, he had opted for some flail to distinguish him from a mere bird: he had made himself larger and his entire tail was red instead of only his legs.
I sent Aytal away to look for the firbolg. However, Khamet was not pleased with this. He had clearly expected that we would go to find the firbolg itself. I wish I could have told him how foolish this would be for me, given my status as an exile and the information I had received earlier. I had suspected based on Rauliso’s assessment this might have been one of my clan and thus going to meet them in person was tantamount to a death sentence for me. Of course, I could not tell Khamet that and thus had to put up with his ridiculous assumptions. One thing did alarm me, however: if this firbolg was to be found dead, he would kill me.
The fact that Khamet would stoop to such things is a worrying development. I am not even sure what I have done to him. He has tolerated me being a warlock, at least to the point of not killing me. Why would he suddenly be so protective over this firbolg? I am afraid of what this means and what he will do to me.
Asking Basil to watch over me (I cannot believe I would trust him with this but I had no choice) I used Aytal’s senses as my own. With his falcon’s eyes, it took almost no time for him to find this other firbolg. There were two dogs with them, like the ones that we kept around the village that belonged to the scouts or warriors of the clan. Flying closer, he saw them, a scarf around their face and a cloak around their body which concealed any colours or patterns which would indicate a clan. As Rauliso said, there were scars on the skin. Fear began to build in me as I began to suspect the worst. Against my better judgement, I ordered Aytal closer. This the firbolg saw but luckily, they did not seem to think much of a Varentari bird suddenly appearing in this forest.
That’s when I saw her eyes. I would never forget those eyes.
It was her. It was her.
But this is impossible. How can she be here?! She is supposed to have died!
She is dead. It is clear from the decomposition of her face. And yet she is up and walking like it is nothing.
I do not know why she is here but I can guess. She is after me. She wants me dead. I thought she was done tormenting me, taking away everything I ever loved, but yet here she is, no doubt ready to take the last thing that is truly mine: my life.
My hands shake even as I write this. I cannot let the others know. If they knew…although it’s too late in some cases.
I still do not know what to do about this. My instinct tells me to either run or confront her, to fight her, to send her back into the earth where she belongs. But I do not know if I am strong enough to do this without the aid of my lady, and I doubt she will grant me that a second time.
I had seen enough. I asked Aytal to fly away and then, when he was out of her sight, brought him back to me as soon as I could. By that time, the others had returned. They had taken the elves to the guards and had returned with…a very strange individual. Rather, three individuals masquerading as one. Two halflings and a dog, all in a trenchcoat. The two halflings were arguing profusely between themselves, mostly about alcohol. It was a welcome distraction. I could not help but watch them, speechless. The others had only been gone over an hour, how did they find people like that?
The distraction did not last long. The halflings soon both turned to me, wondering if I was the person they saw. I was not. They had, in fact, seen her and interacted with her dogs. My blood ran cold. Given what I had seen, I was not prepared to discuss it, let alone have it brought up by total strangers. Nevertheless, my hand was forced. I told my companions as little as I could: that I found them and that we should not have anything to do with them.
Of course, Khamet took this opportunity to insult me in front of these total strangers. I would expect nothing less of him. I cannot work out why he has suddenly decided he hates me more than usual. Is it because of her?
Nevertheless, I tried to explain to the halflings that I was, in fact, summoning Aytal. Aytal, however, took this moment to dive into the trenchcoat. I do not quite know why but I can guess: he was curious about these strangers, and in his usual sable form, he is a natural burrower. The halflings, startled by this sudden intrusion into their space, destroyed his physical form.
I should have been angry. Indeed, I wanted to lash out at them badly. Indeed, I normally would have done. However, I did not. First of all, I was still shaken from seeing her. Secondly, Aytal had done it himself and faced the consequences of antagonising two clearly not entirely stable halflings. Thirdly, it meant I could bring him back as a sable and resist the temptation to keep him as a falcon. This is better for both of us in the long run. So I swallowed my rage and let it be. I think my fathers would have been proud.
…I should not think about them now. Not given the circumstances.
The question turned back to the firbolg in the woods, the one who I knew at all costs I wanted to avoid. Khamet, of course, wanted to do the opposite and meet her. He gave all sorts of reasons, from making his money honest to checking for danger from her to getting a bigger sample size to find out whether I am an outlier or not, but I suspect his primary one was simple: find out what this firbolg had that disturbed me so, and thus gain his reason to kill me. I did my best to persuade the party to not go, to leave it be, but it was no use. No amount of deflection helped me. He could see through my lies. He wanted to meet her.
Amani could tell that this had something to do with my clan and I made no effort to hide it from them. I can trust them with that. But I do not know if I could tell even them the full story. I wish I could. It would be a great weight off my shoulders.
Basil, unsurprisingly, thought I had stolen something from her. I had to tell him no. Though the insinuation offended me, in truth, I wish it was that simple.
Khamet still went to see her. I wanted to try to stop him but there was no way I could, not without forcing him. That would only confirm his suspicions. Despite the fact that he kept insulting me, that he lobbied insults at my lady, despite the fact that he kept insinuating that she was not a fey and mentioned Amani thought so too, I could not stop him. Even though he managed to force a wedge between me and Amani too.
I could only hope that he would not find her. Or better yet, that something in the woods got him. Better him than me if he does indeed want me dead. But why? I don’t understand but it hurts. He was more than happy to save Crezonis. If he deserves his kindness, why don’t I?
In the meantime, there was the issue of those who had attacked Tally to sort out. After being so shaken, I was desperate to get on with something which would let me forget what I saw, or at least process it. It seemed like there was more than just that group, given what my companions were talking about.
At least I managed to catch up to and apologise to Amani. I hope I did it right. If this plays out how I fear, I will desperately need their friendship.
Anthony told me to chill, and I wish I could. As I told him, Khamet pushes every single button I have. He gets under my skin and I must respond otherwise I am weak. But I also find him amusing, sometimes, when he is not aiming his barbs at me. And he is a good fighter (part of the reason I fear him). I wanted to save his life when we were fighting against the spider demon. That I did not admit. What I did end up blurting out was that…I find him handsome. I hate that I do but I do! He is the most obnoxious person but he has a pretty face. I cannot stand it! And I wish I could take it back so my companions do not know.
I wish I was like Tally. She does not need to prove her strength. It is why she does not rise to anything. I must constantly prove myself. I have been seen as weak and useless far too long.
We continued down to Ur Zaihar. I wish I had Aytal with me then. He always helped me calm down. The halflings had a dog with them, a border collie named McBacon, who I did get to pet. He was sweet. He was no Aytal but it did help me calm down, as animals always do. The halflings also did a good job of drawing attention from me, given that I could not disguise myself.
Anthony wanted to take a small detour to find something or someone to teach him draconic so he could speak to his girlfriend, Tyzol (I still do not understand it). I did not think we would find anything like that but somehow, he managed to dig a phrasebook up in the unpleasant part of town. That man has the strangest talents. Even if it is more aimed towards actual dragons than dragonborn.
Through all of this, I kept thinking about Khamet meeting the firbolg in the woods. Worrying about the things that she would tell him.
Eventually, we arrived at a house that, unlike the rest of the city, was simply built and dilapidated. Once again, I found myself missing Aytal. If I had him, I could have sent him in to scout. I cannot wait to resummon him. Instead, we had to peer through the window. Tally was worried about excuses for us to get into the house, which baffled me. They tried to kill her! How could she possibly be so forgiving of that?
In the house, there were several guards along with the elves who had previously attacked Tally. We could not see what was going on so well but the door was unlocked. Tally suggested a distraction, which was an excellent idea. At this moment, the two halflings and McBacon proved their usefulness. They agreed to be a distraction and fight for us in exchange for the amulet I found in the bandit cave. They certainly delivered! Walking through the door, they announced that there was a bachelor party there, whatever that means. That certainly got plenty of attention. The halflings then sprang into action, attacking the elves. I was not quite sure why they sprang into action at the time, and given their previously expressed penchant for stabbing, it may have been simply that coming through. However, given the elves attacked Tally, I was not going to ask too many questions.
Indeed, getting in through the door, I saw that one of the elves was one we had encountered prior who had gotten away. What is more, she had a knife to a guard’s throat. The same guard from a week ago who escorted Tally and Alyzraena. That was enough of an excuse for me to spring into action. The halflings had already made good work of a few of the elves so I decided to help out. I hexed her and sent a blast of frost towards her, aiming at her hands especially so she would not be able to use that dagger.
Amani tried to get her to drop the weapon through magic but she refused. She told us to leave or she would cut his throat. That, of course, was not an option. Anthony followed up with…an insult? From his tone, it was one. It mentioned that elf’s mother and him not being able to get to her because the line was too long. I do not understand it but for whatever reason, it got under that elf’s skin. I will hardly question that. Tally took that moment to leap over the elves and grapple the hostage taker, which was just as well; she attempted to cut the guard’s throat.
The halflings wanted guidance on who to stab next. They were so good: like attack dogs. I pointed them simply at the hostage taker. To their credit, they took her out in only a few strikes, allowing me to grab the brooch she had worn. For good measure, I blasted one of the other elves to get them to back away. Amani stepped in and told them that they cannot win this. Whether it was their eyes, their words or the simple hopelessness of the situation, the elves gave in.
They deserved that necklace. I happily gave it to them.
At this point, Khamet and Basil arrived. Khamet said he did not find the firbolg. I could not see through him but Basil seemed twitchy and nervous. I knew they had found her. Perhaps they even knew. The fear returned.
I looked around, trying to find something or someone to distract me. Tally had not moved from where she had been holding the elf who had taken the guard hostage. She looked shocked. Of course, seeing someone die in front of her would be counter to her peaceful nature, but it seemed like more. I tried to comfort her but she did not respond. Another of the guards thought it was best I gave her some time, and I did not argue. I do hope she will be alright. Still, they were going to hurt her, and others. I do not understand why she is so torn up.
Or perhaps I do. I deliberately avoided looking at the wound that the halflings had inflicted after all. I wonder if it is similar to what Tally feels.
The halflings, including Basil, had begun to loot. I looked around for spell components but could not find anything useful. Once they had gotten what they wanted, the halflings left. After apologising for stabbing Aytal, which was appreciated.
I noticed Amani take Khamet out of the room. Seeing the opportunity, I took the chance to question Basil. He told me immediately: they found her, and they know what she is. They spoke in Elvish and Basil could not understand them so could not tell me what they spoke about exactly. All I know is that I must be careful with Khamet. If he spoke to her and he really does want me dead, he might just conspire with her to make it so. I will have to think about how I could possibly smooth over the situation without revealing too much. I wish I could explain it, as Basil wanted, but I cannot.
I am afraid. I do not want to leave this group. I like being with them. But if this continues, I will have to.
I do not want to be alone.
My lady Malka says we can take her on. She is a shadow of her former self. Indeed, I am not worried about that so much as Khamet. I have to try to speak with him, get him to see my side of things. Perhaps if I do, we can kill her. Send her back to the earth where she belongs.
For the first time since my banishment, I fear what the future may bring.
Meallán Lynxheart Session FifteenWith the dust settled, we all took a moment to collect ourselves and ponder our next course of action. Khamet’s was to loudly announce for all to hear that he was going to the bathroom. Given his earlier insinuations and his knowledge of the firbolg from my past, I was suspicious. I thought instead he was going away to cast something he did not want any of us to know about. I followed him to find the door to the bathroom closed and him chanting inside. I was right. I managed to interrupt whatever he was doing by opening the door with my mage hand but was not quick enough to dive for cover before Khamet saw me.
I got the usual barrage of insults, which I countered by pointing out that normal people did not chant while going to the bathroom. Going over to it, I could also sense magical residue. He was definitely casting a spell and doing a poor job of lying about it. Eventually, he relented and admitted he was making a new friend. This was news to me; I did not know he knew that spell. Apparently, his god, Anhur, had gifted it to him. The reason he was casting in the bathroom? He needed “material”.
I do not know whether to laugh or cry. I always thought he was so fixated on the creation of familiars from dung because he knew it annoyed me. But it seems he actually believes that? I tried to explain to him for what felt like the hundredth time before Tally told me to leave him alone. I relented, probably for the best. Trying to talk reason into Khamet is like speaking to a brick wall.
I was not fully convinced by his story that he was summoning something but my hands were tied. In order to take my mind off it, I set up my own ritual circle and tried to identify what the brooch was that I took off the elf the Nettlebutt(e)s killed. During this, I notice Tally returning and looking around for something to get the blood off her clothes. I could not blame her. I would want the same in her place. The guards also instructed us to watch the house until reinforcements arrived. That was fine; it was not like we were going anywhere.
Before I was able to complete it, from the bathroom came Khamet and an enormous, jet black warhorse! It was a relief that he had not been lying. It was less of a relief to have lost concentration on the spell I was casting from the shock of this sight. At a loss for what to do, I naturally introduced myself to the horse, who I found out was named Hatar. Hatar was less than impressed, which I suppose is unsurprising; he is Khamet’s.
Quickly, an obvious issue came up; how to get Hatar out. Evidently, Khamet did not think about the size of the door when summoning him, and summoning him outside was out of the question due to the aforementioned earlier…stupid beliefs.
While he was busy trying to figure that out, I wanted nothing to do with that nonsense. Taking the chance, I took Tally aside, wanting to speak to her. Mostly, I wanted to check if she was alright but I also wanted to understand why she froze up like that, whether it was the blood as with me or something else. She was not alright. She was distressed by the death that suddenly occurred in her arms. I knew I was at least partially responsible for that, having directed the halflings to kill that elf and then picking the brooch off her body, doing my best not to look at the gashes they left. But Tally is so much more sensitive, far kinder and gentler than me or any of us. Of course she would be bothered.
I do take umbrage with her insistence that it would have been better if we had left her to her fate. How could we have possibly let them take her? Even if she had found a way to escape like she insists she could have done, how could we have stood by and let someone attack her simply because they hate what she is? It seems wrong to me. I did my best to convey that to her but still, she says it was not better for them to die than her. That her life is not worth more than theirs.
I wanted to voice my disagreement, to convince her that no, her gentle, compassionate soul is worth more than a bunch of elves who hate and hurt because of that hate, but I knew it would not help. Even Amani’s aid did not convince her. I still do not understand why it bothers her so much but I know she is a very good person to care so much even about those who tried to hurt her. The least I could do for her was give her some comfort. I did my best. Despite our height difference, she did accept my hug. I am grateful for it. If there is something I can do for her despite not ever being able to understand why she is the way she is, I will do it. I respect her and admire her too much to stand by while she is in distress, whether from her own emotions or from attackers. If I could only be like her.
As we were speaking, Khamet finally got Hatar out of the door. He did not collapse the house, thankfully, but he still damaged the frame. Amani and I stayed behind to repair it. During that time, we got to speak. They still seemed down, which I assume was about our argument earlier so I attempt to reassure them. I also mentioned I might need their help at some point. If I want to fight her, I will need a strong sorcerer on my side after all. But this lead me to opening up about some of my other wants and fears. I did not want to die and I wanted to be strong. They told me there were other ways, and that I should make peace with myself, but were not sure how to advise me. It felt like they were trying to say something without saying what it was. I was not sure what it could have been, but in hindsight, given what they said next, it was about my lady.
They mentioned what Khamet spat out earlier: that Amani also believes she is not a fey. I was fine with this: after all, my lady had happily dismissed those claims. I tried to tell what she said to Amani but they were not convinced.
They decided to be completely honest with me. I let them. Then they told me: they had gotten a read on my magical signature. I knew, thanks to Master Aubryl’s teachings, that it could not have been anybody. Indeed, it was someone at Dyventain. Not someone I knew, at least so they claim. And they did it because Khamet forced their hand during that week when we were waiting for Crezonis.
I was in shock. I did not know what to say. My lady means so much to me. She is all I have. I would die for her if she asked. But she is lying to me about something so important, about her very identity. I asked her once about it and she reassured me. I am afraid to ask again. I fear her wrath. I fear that she will be angry at me for believing my travelling companions over her, the one who gives me everything. I was in such a haze that I barely could react to what Amani said.
Now? I feel angry. They went at Khamet’s guidance behind my back to find out something that I did not even let Aubryl find out because I do not want someone looking into my soul! I want to be angrier but I cannot bring myself. It reminds me of the time my father went behind my back to tell the elders about me learning arcane magic, forcing me to do it in secret. I was furious at him. He claimed he knew what was best. He did not. All he did was sell me out to them!
…perhaps that is why I cannot be so angry at Amani; because of my father. I miss him. I value the friendship I have with Amani. I do not want to lose them and be alone again. I am glad that they, unlike my father, confessed their sin instead of waiting until I found out.
I will speak to them about this again. Tell them to never go behind my back. And find out if they plan to keep restricting me or let me find my own path, whatever it is.
I hope they do not abandon me.
It took me a while to recover from that. I barely remember the rest of the day until we camped. The guards came and we set off for Cai Shaan. Missing Aytal, I tried to pet Hatar but he ignored me. The rain beat down, making things even more miserable. In the rain, I tried to watch for anybody in the woods, specifically the undead hunting me, but there was nothing. I was worried about how we were going to camp out. Luckily, Anthony had a new spell prepared, one that created a hut. It looked like a ritual spell. Perhaps I could learn it off him for my own use.
I did not stay in it long, as I wished to resummon Aytal and could not do it in the hut. I left, first using my new spell to create a perimeter around the camp site in cast she tracks me down during the night. Then I began to burn the incense and charcoal needed to bring Aytal back, using my cloak to keep the rain off.
Amani followed me, though I was still unsure of how I felt about them and the revelations they gave me, so we simply sat there until the ritual was complete. It was good having Aytal again, and he could sense that I was troubled. He was soft and warm, and curled around my neck, just like he is when I write this. I missed him a lot. Hopefully he will not do anything stupid again. I do not have more spell ingredients to bring him back.
As long as he remains bound to me, I will always have him. Even if my lady is not who she seems.
Having some time, I resumed on identifying the brooch, and also found out what the circlet I took earlier was. The brooch allowed one to resist magical force energy while the circlet could produce fire. I kept the latter for myself. The brooch I offered to Amani but they did not want it.
We sat outside for a while until Amani said they needed to go to the bathroom. For a moment, I was afraid they were leaving for good. I tried to speak to them about what happened, including saying I was not angry at them. I suppose I was not, at the time. The shock was too great still. I was wondering what to do. They said they would help. I would like that, if they can help somehow. As long as they do not think they know what is best for me.
As long as we can still be friends.
I eventually let them go. I thought about going back inside but Basil came out, joining me. He wanted to ask me about what he saw. About her. I did my best to answer his questions without revealing too much. He deserved at least some answers, especially if I wanted his aid in killing her. I told him that I did not know why she returned, although I knew who she was. He mentioned if there was anything we could do to help her. Ideally, I would like her to return to the earth, if only so that I would not have to constantly be looking over my shoulder.
I agree with him on two things: that we need to learn what we are dealing with and we need to find a way around that will not hurt Tally. I do not want her involved if I can help it. I doubt she will understand. As for what we are dealing with…I have suspicions, given what happened between me and her. But if that is the case, I fear for what can be done, or rather, what cannot be. But I do not want to go anywhere near her, not until I am certain I can defend against her. If there is another way, I will take it. But I do not know what that other way is.
Tally did also join us eventually. She tried to pet Aytal, which was sweet. She was nervous but she soon got the hang of it, and both of them enjoyed that. That tiny drop of sweetness was what finally got me to sleep.
I do not know when Amani returned but they must have done at some point. They awoke late and when they did…they were entirely silver. I was not sure what happened, nor can I begin to guess. I tried to read their magical signature but all I got was an overwhelming amount of silver. Which was unsurprising. I wonder if it is part of their sorcerous magic. I was worried that they had made a pact with something. I confess, I cannot even begin to start guessing, although I will continue to investigate. All they say it was a gift from magic and, in response to my private question, say it is within their grasp.
They seemed fine though. More than fine. All the anxiety and sadness they had last night had just melted away. So I let it be. However, as we kept moving, I extended my senses out to feel magic. Their ring was magical, as was their cloak. It glowed even brighter than they did, which is no small feat, given that they are magic incarnate. I could also feel something in Khamet’s bag which I did not know about before. I must find out about that.
As we walked along, Basil found a strange item in the dirt. Two flat metal rectangles with a circular metal dial in the middle. Curious, I identified it while he held it for me. It was odd. The most striking thing about it was that it used to hold part of a soul. I got the impression of a cold winter morning. Unsure of what else to do with it, I allowed Basil to keep it. He seemed quite taken with it. I can only hope it is nothing harmful. I am beginning to take a liking to Basil, even if he is a thief. He has a charm to him.
Our travels were soon interrupted by a tree blocking our path. Normally we could just walk around it but this one could easily follow us. It was an animated tree and it was not friendly. It picked up a tree trunk and prepared for battle. Aytal must have bonded with Tally a lot last night as he scurried over to her and encouraged her in her attacks. Amani got an excellent strike on the tree with an icicle blade, no doubt due to their new power. The tree, however, did not appreciate that and threw the trunk at them, enraged. However, they remained on their feet.
Basil attempted to set it on fire with a bottle of oil and a rag. Tally, with Aytal’s guidance, attacked it. Khamet too, hit it with the club he got from the demons. I thought this might be enough clue for it to realise we were too much trouble, so I attempted to talk it down. However, I took no chances and became invisible so it could not hurt me.
No use. It continued to fight us. Hatar proved his mettle by managing to unbalance it with his strike, knocking it down. Amani struck it with another spell. The tree, enraged by Hatar’s attack, struck the horse, disappearing him. I could feel Aytal’s sadness at this. Poor thing; he really did enjoy having another magical animal around. However, given that Hatar costs nothing to summon and Khamet seems attached to him, I am sure we will see him again.
Basil, Tally and Khamet continued to attack the prone tree. It was on its last legs and I knew there was no reasoning. So I decided to test out a new spell my lady had taught me, one I have been wanting for a long time. I created an explosion over its head, raining down fire upon it. It burned well. That was enough to finish it off. I could tell she was pleased, judging by the vitality I regained from that strike.
We began to examine the tree. Amani suggested it may be Arcaito who animated it and is now setting them against us. It is an intriguing possibility, one worth considering. However, we had defeated it easily enough. If that was the worst Arcaito could do, we have no need to fear him. All he had done in the end was throw some firewood for us.
Finally, an enemy I knew what I could use for. Wasps and spider demons I could not even imagine a use for but a tree, I knew exactly how to process that. I cut it up for wood and managed to get a sizeable pile. Most was not damp enough to burn; we set up a good fire with it that evening. Nothing should ever be wasted.
As we kept going, the cold began to get to Basil. Feeling pity for him, I picked him up and carried him. However, we were all beginning to feel some tiredness and took a break, especially for Amani so they could heal up. During that time, Anthony took me aside to find birds to send a letter to Tyzol. I had promised, so I obliged. I may, after all, need to call in that favour if my stalker catches up to me. Since it was going to be a relatively large parcel given he was sending a letter and a necklace, I went out to look for a hawk.
While we were searching, Anthony showed me the letter. I am very impressed that he managed to get that much use out of a phrasebook which is meant for appeasing dragons. His letter in common, however, is very sweet. He clearly cares a lot for Tyzol. I do hope that letter says what he thinks. Perhaps if I learn a spell for understanding all languages, I can check it for him.
I gave the hawk some meat from my rations and sent it on its way. We returned to the group, and since we were still pausing, I took this as a good time to offer them the brooch. Despite getting hit during the fight, Amani still did not want it, which given their magical defences is no surprise. Anthony had his scale from Tyzol, though I doubt that holds a candle to magical protection. Basil, however, was happy to take it. Unsurprising, given his love of trinkets, but I was happy to give it to him. He is small: he needs defending.
We finally camped again, and I took this as a chance to speak to Khamet about what he saw. Basil came along too, which I was slightly uncomfortable about but did not begrudge. He knew everything; he might as well listen to the explanation. To remember the truths I told and what I did not, in order to not contradict myself, I will write them down here.
Once I created a magical perimeter, I told Khamet I knew he met her. He responded with his usual condescension, calling me out on using different pronouns for her. I had been trying to obfuscate her identity but there was no point. He was also furious at Basil, which I admit annoyed me. I told him that I forced him to reveal the secret, not mentioning that he barely resisted. Khamet responded by saying that if I threatened Basil’s life, we can take- Basil cut him off, but I knew what he meant to say: measures. He wanted to punish me somehow. That thought was deeply uncomfortable.
I interrupted him to get back on topic. I knew the risks I was taking but I prayed that it might make Khamet understand my situation a little more and thus relent on his harshness towards me. So I told him about her. About the fact that I knew her, about the fact that she was from my clan. I also said her name, for the first time in a long while. Ragnailt. It feels odd to even write it now. I told him I do not know why she is undead. He, however, picked up on the fact that people do not just become undead for no reason. That is also true, but I am not telling him my suspicions. About how the dead can be vengeful.
Instead, I told him that she wants to kill me because I was banished from my clan. It was painful to reveal, to prove that he was right before, but I had no choice, not if I wanted to hide the greater secret. I told him it was due to my association with my lady Malka and the fact that I was a warlock, which is half true. I told him about my desperation, how she was the only one to ever offer me kindness and validation, to give me what I so desperately wanted. He did not understand. Of course he would not. How could one blessed by his god know what that clawing hunger to be something is like?
Thinking back, did he really imply that banishing me was kindness?! Perhaps. Maybe it was good I got out. But he cannot imagine the pain, the humiliation, the anger that comes with being torn away from everything you have ever known, being made an outlaw to your own kind, to be told to never to return to your home?! But how could he ever know.
Going back to our conversation, I told him my alleged theory: that Ragnailt wants to kill me because she believes I am still in her territory and a banished firbolg must be killed. That is true, in a way, but only if they have done something very bad. I tried to imply that she was being manipulated by something. I do not think he fully believed me, if at all.
That was when I heard voices. Elven voices. Somehow they had slipped past my barrier. I need to see how. But these were strangers, so I immediately reverted to my disguise.
Khamet, however, was not willing to let this conversation go just because we had company. I begged him to help me fight her, or put her out of her misery as I said it. I hoped that might gain his sympathy. Basil being on my side may have also aided, or so I hoped. Khamet is very fixated on the fact that I threatened to kill him, despite the fact that he tried to rob me and my friend when we met. Since then, things have changed. Basil has proven himself to be a good halfling. Despite all odds, I do trust him, even if I will watch my pockets around him.
There was no sympathy from Khamet. In fact, he threatened to kill me should Ragnailt ever meet a sticky end. In one fell swoop, he scuppered all my plans. I have no choice now but to run to Cai Shaan and beyond, and pray she does not catch up to me.
I did at least get to ask him straightforwardly whether he wanted to see me dead. He did not, which was a relief, but implied that if I kill her, he will do that. It was a punch to the gut. I asked him why he would not help me when he helped Crezonis. Because I lie to him. I lie only to preserve my skin.
We could have continued like this but the elves interrupted us. One of them was badly injured and we decided it was enough for now. I let Khamet take care of the injured elf, despite his taunting of me. I have a very good reason to be terrified of blood. Not that I would ever tell him.
I focused on building a fire and a lean-to from the pieces of the tree we defeated, as well as from wood I could find around our camp site. After years spending time in the forest, it was not a poor effort, although I was never good with such things to begin with. Khamet looked at the elf- Ovinrei’s- injury, and offered to stay with him during the night. How nice. It is only me he hates.
What happened next surprised me. Tally, of all people, stood up for me! She approached Khamet, first accusing him of warmongering for his god and invading- something that had not even occurred to me- and more. She would not kill him if he killed me, unsurprisingly, but judging by the way she said it, she would be furious if he did. Which thinking about it, makes a lot of sense: she hates all killing, and does not believe anybody has the right to take a life. Khamet retorted, saying that me and Amani threatened to kill Basil way back. Tally pointed out rightly we stopped.
I could only watch in awe. In the end, the argument burned itself out. Tally left, leaving Khamet angry and upset. I had not expected that. To have her stand up for me was…almost validation. I was grateful. It meant I was not truly the monster he saw in me.
With that done, I turned to the other elf, Vai, for information on their attack. She told me her story, about how they were attacked by bandits. However, it did not fully add up. She did not see what they were like, despite elves having good sight in the dark. She and another elf were also very interested in the fact that we took care of the bandits around Ur Zaihar a while back. Perhaps a little too interested. Added to this, all the bandits did was shoot Ovinrei with an arrow and then left, all without taking anything. I thought the point of banditry was to steal? But they did not even know who attacked them!
In the end, I asked for them to show us the spot where they were attacked. Tomorrow morning, we shall see how much of their story is true.
Anthony’s magical box rang again. He stepped away to answer it and I, being curious, sent Aytal to investigate and listened through him. Basil had the same idea and Aytal got a good perch to hear what was going on. He seemed to be having a one-sided conversation about the police and not speaking to them. Even though he spoke to the guards at Ur. He also spoke about being sent back, I assume to his homeland. But his reason to say, that was obvious, given the letter he sent: Tyzol. And whoever he was speaking to, or pretending to speak to, threatened her, something which made Anthony very angry. He finished his conversation and returned. I brought Aytal back to me, having learned all this. Perhaps I should ask him more. If anything, to confirm that he is not mad.
Before I went to sleep, I took the opportunity to thank Tally for standing up for me. She was worried she had gone too far. I do not think she did, though it is clear by now that our standards are different. Even if she only stood up to him because of her value on life, it is still nice that she thinks my life is so important. I really do hope I can live up to what I promised and not make her regret this. If there is any reason- beyond all the others, of course- to try to be a good person, it is because I desperately do not want to disappoint her.
Before we went to bed, I even asked her about redemption. I asked if someone who did a bad thing could achieve it. She told me that one must learn to forgive oneself if they want redemption. I get the feeling that she has not quite reached that level, or at least does not feel she is redeemed for whatever it is she did.
I can sympathise. I do not know if I will ever redeem myself, in her definition or otherwise. I question what I have done too much for that.
I miss the comfort my lady brings me. I hope she still loves me and cares about me, despite my doubts. I do not wish her to think I am ungrateful.
Tomorrow, we continue to Cai Shaan, if this mystery of the bandits does not sidetrack us much. We can only wait and see.
Meallán Lynxheart
***
She spoke to me! She answered my question. Even though I am exhausted, I must write this down lest I forget.
She still loves me. She is proud of me. I defeated a demon and Crezonis. She complimented my drive and passion. I am so happy she thinks I’ve come a long way. And she does not consider Khamet a threat. If she does not, perhaps I should not either? And she thinks Amani is still my friend. While I will ask them in the morning, if she thinks it, it has to be true.
I feel so foolish. So ungrateful for even questioning her and doubting her. As long as she loves me and cares for me, why does it matter if she is a fey? She must have her reasons for presenting as such to me. I should not ask. She knows best, after all.
I love her so much. Lady Malka is my whole world. Anything she asks of me, I shall do.
I shall now attempt to sleep. If I keep her words in my head, I am sure I will have sweet dreams. Session SixteenThe morning was still cold and rainy, and thus we were all slow to wake. I took advantage of this to speak to Amani early in the morning. It has taken a few days for me to figure out my emotions and decide what I want to say to them about what they had told me about my lady Malka and the way they found out. Thus, I put my plan into action.
Aytal awoke them and we went out into the forest once they were ready. There, I told them all that was on my mind. How I had been thinking about what I said and what it means for me. That I want to believe my lady but there is also a gnawing doubt there. I could ask my lady but I fear that if she knows I doubt her, she will be angry. More importantly, I told them about the fact that what they did hurt. I did not realise it at the time but upon reflection, it reminded me too much of my own father. How he went behind my back and told the elders about me learning magic that was not of nature. I never really forgave him for that, to his doom and my regret.
I miss him.
But back to the matter at hand. Amani was surprised to learn that firbolgs forbade arcane magic, as the elves consider it wonderful. That much I remember from my dealings with Aquilian. They also reassured me that they had not told anyone of my banishment. They claimed that they were thinking of me. Another reminder of my father. This time, however, I desperately did not want to be angry at them. I like them and they are my second chance, or perhaps even my first, for true friendship. I did not wish for things between us to sour as they did with my father. So I asked them if they would be fine with me going my own path and investigating Malka for myself.
They said yes.
It did make me feel better to know they did not think to assume what was best for me. Rightly so, they said that probably nobody knows what is best for them. As much as I appreciate their help, this is my own path to take. That said, their help is not unwelcome, as long as I know what form it takes.
If I was a sorcerer, it would be so much easier. I would not have even been here. I would still be with my clan.
As for my lady…I do not know if I even want to know what she is. I am happy with how things are. But at the same time, it gnaws on me. The thought that she is hiding things. The inconsistency. But I love her. I am nothing without her. It feels ungrateful asking all these questions when she had done so much. It scares me not knowing everything.
Once everyone had woken up, I decided to distract myself with something. Anthony wanted to go hunting and I decided to use my skills and help him. Not with the actual killing, of course, but using my knowledge of animals and the forest to track. Basil joined us, and all together (along with aid that was provided to Anthony by one “Bear Grylls”, whoever he is), we made short work of a deer. Once I had thanked it for its sacrifice and expressed my hope for its soul’s quick reincarnation, Basil cut it up.
As we worked, nearby, we heard a small sneeze. It came from a young girl who had been walking along not far from us. Immediately, Aytal took a shine to her. He leapt off my shoulders and curled around her, attempting to keep her warm. She was, unusually enough, green. I later learned that this was because she was a goblin. It was my first time ever seeing a goblin; that was highly exciting. Though she is the only goblin around: she does not know where the others are.
The girl- who later introduced herself as Yeet (the goblin word for “to go away very fast”, which is what she does. Tally said there was a drow word that sounds the same but is far more sinister)- was looking for something. A device, which she described as suspiciously similar to the device Basil had found. Basil gave it back to her and she almost began crying! I thought it must be very precious to her and suspected that perhaps the soul within it was someone important.
Yeet had gotten separated from a group of halflings after they had gotten attacked by bandits. She asked us to accompany her to Cai Shaan, which we did. She seemed sweet and Aytal liked her; I certainly did not want anything bad to befall her. She seemed skittish enough as it was, and I did not dare think how she would fare on the road alone.
We brought her back to the rest of the party for approval, who were immediately charmed by her. Despite Khamet asking his usual most tactful questions. He did make up for it, however, by curing the cold she seemed to have picked up, fortunately for her.
However, there was no more time for talk as we got attacked by several creatures: three lizards and six dryad-like beings. Tally sprung into action first, unsurprisingly, but then Yeet also began to fight, revealing a hidden side to this otherwise scared girl. I did get the impression, however, that she had learned to do this simply to survive, not in any organised fashion or for the purpose of fighting for its own sake.
Khamet began to attack the lizard Yeet had softened up, whilst Aytal stuck with Yeet, determining that she was the one most in need of help and comfort. As for myself…well, trees and lizards are always vulnerable to fire, so I struck them with a fireball. One of the plant people ducked out of the way but the others were hit with full force. I disappeared but this was for naught as I was caught in a blast of poisonous breath from one of the lizards.
I should not be surprised at this point by this but Basil attempted to ride one of the lizards. He really does want an animal companion much like myself and Khamet. Perhaps I or even we should look into this in Cai Shaan. His efforts at taming the lizard were, alas, unsuccessful, as he did not even manage to land on its back.
At this point, several of the tree-like beings surrounded Anthony. They must have charmed him as he proclaimed that one of them was “his boy”. I am not sure what this expression means, whether he believed they were his relative or his friend or even lover but the effect was the same.
Aytal remained with Yeet, who was attacking the tree beings again. However, he noticed that she was uncomfortable when she saw the elves. My suspicions about them were heightened but there was not much to be done in the moment.
Amani also aided Yeet with a spell while Khamet killed Anthony’s “boy”. Whatever it did, it broke the spell. Sensing my opportunity, I blasted each of them with a ray of flame from the circlet we confiscated from Tally’s attackers. Not wishing to get caught by the lizard’s breath again, I moved for cover, which was just as well as it emitted that noxious gas again, catching one of the elves we met last night.
More creatures continued to attack Anthony until the shock of a lizard’s bite caused him to faint. Before I could move to get to him to make sure he did not die, Khamet brought him up again with magical healing. Instead, I stayed put, as Tally hid behind me and I did my best to give her cover, since I am much taller than her. Aytal remained with Yeet, who seemed to need all the comfort she could get. The battle was no doubt getting to her. Looking around, I noticed that one of the lizards was beginning to look weak. A quick blast finished it off.
Another lizard, however, went for Anthony before Hatar trampled it, giving Anthony a chance to get away. He was crying as he ran, though I could not tell if it was from pain or the abuse he received. Perhaps both. Two tree people followed him, taking a strike from Hatar, but fortunately, both their attacked missed. Otherwise I fear what may have happened. Tally and Yeet, however, made short work of them, with Yeet delivering the final blow on the enemy. For a small goblin girl, she was an impressive fighter. But, common wisdom does say that even a mouse will fight viciously if given no choice.
We took a rest, with Anthony especially taking a moment to recover from the physical and emotional toll of his injuries. I took the opportunity to take Yeet aside and speak to her about her aversion to the elves. After stuttering and apologising for her being scared, she confirmed my suspicions: those elves were, in fact, bandits. She recognised them from an attack on her and her group last night. Moreover, the arrow wound one of the elves sustained was from her party.
Now, this would not be an issue if one of them had not snuck out and followed us. She was doing a rather poor job of it and we could see her. Tally, wisely, suggested that we talk about something different and not let her know we know. Khamet, not so wisely (though par for the course for him) decided to very loudly shout out some ridiculous thing about Amani glowing because they ate mushrooms while going to the bathroom?! What is with that man and the bathroom? Is he not supposed to be an adult?
Amani took it poorly. I tried to get between them, to indicate that this was a poor attempt at a distraction for the bandit who was watching, but Amani did not relent. I do not care to recount the details of their argument, only that it did not help distract Vai, the elf bandit, at all. I suggested that perhaps we should interrogate them. Anthony, luckily, had the perfect spell for that. Between him casting a spell that made those affected tell the truth and me holding the elves in place with magic, we managed to arrest them.
They could not lie but they managed to be frustratingly evasive, despite by their own admission hating us. What we did get straight was that the arrow wound gained by one of them was caused by a halfling shooting them, a halfling who Yeet identified as someone she knew. A member of a troupe who was attacked by the bandits we captured. Based on that and their non-answers, especially their evasiveness, I drew my own conclusions: they were bandits and we could take them out. After all, it would hardly do for them to be let loose to attack more halfling troupes just to see what they had, if anything. I feel bad for Yeet having to deal with them, but she managed to put on a brave face for such a small goblin in confronting them again. It must be nice for her to know they have been apprehended.
Amani tied them up for me so I could release the spell as I could feel it was reaching its limit. Amani’s knots were not up to scratch but thankfully, Yeet was on hand to assist. Goblin hands are quite dextrous and the pair were soon secured. While we filled Yeet in on the events of last night, Tally spoke with the prisoners. As they were still obligated to tell the truth, she managed to coax quite a few facts from them. The first is that this group had been trouble for a while. This raised in me hope for a reward. But the second fact was what drew my attention.
They were part of Crezonis’s band. They knew the centaur, as well as Juniper and Volan. This was an interesting development indeed. I had hoped to silence them into compliance by telling them about Volan’s fate at my hands. One of them, Vai, reacted with indifference, but the other one- I think his name was Vaan- would have attacked me had he not been tied up. No wonder: Volan was his brother. They had found his body.
My threat had the opposite effect to what I had intended. I understand why he reacted that way, of course. But they were bandits: that was part of the danger. Volan would have been killed by the Lords of Ur anyway. We simply saved time.
Regardless, it was unlikely I could kill Vaan in the same way. Khamet and Tally were watching us, especially Tally. She was very loudly uncomfortable with even the prospect. Remembering how she was at Volan’s execution, I would not have done it unless the bandits gave us no choice. Perhaps if they had made a move to attack us first or try to get away, and even then, I would have attempted to deliver a non-lethal blow, for her sake. This time, as we were close to the centaurs and we had no deadline, turning them in was much easier.
On a different topic, under the effect of the Zone of Truth, Tally once again blurted out about Khamet’s handsomeness. I am glad I am not alone in thinking that way. I do, however, wish she would not bring it up. It’s harder to ignore that way and given that he despises me, I would rather not feel that way or even think about it. It is uncomfortable.
We headed back to the place where we camped, leading the bandits behind us. Vai yelled at them to flee but they were cut off by Hatar. I once again managed to hold them using magic- only one this time, unfortunately- and the rest were rounded up by my companions. Once we tied them up, the question was how to transport them to the centaur outpost. Hatar could carry two but that left three.
I noticed one of the lizards remained and attempted to approach it to convince it to help us. To my great surprise, it replied in sylvan! It- though it is rude to call one that so I shall simply use "he" as the lizard did not seem to care- was a fey. Unfortunately, I forgot my manners and never did think to ask his name. He revealed to us the reason that we were attacked: Arcaito sent them. Things suddenly fell into place, both with their attack and the treant from earlier. Arcaito must be furious with us for breaking him off from Crezonis. This was so, so satisfying to hear. He could send all the forces that he wanted: we were still stronger.
The lizard, however, chose to serve Arcaito, and preferred to stay with him even despite his failure at taking us down. Once reminded of this, he did waver a little, although ultimately, I get the impression he will stay with Arcaito, much to his detriment. I did suggest Lady Malka to did not pursue the conversation further if the fey had no interest. If, of course, she accepted him into her service. And if she is a fey, as she has to be.
For the time being, the lizard accompanied us, helping us transport the prisoners in exchange for some meat. We strapped two to the lizard and two to Hatar. With no way to easily carry the others, we had to untie their legs so they could walk, albeit strapped to our metaphorical and literal pack horses. In a way, with the lizard coming with us, Basil got his wish, albeit not in a way that he intended or in any way that seemed to bring him any satisfaction.
The remaining two lizard corpses seemed like a waste to leave. Basil butchered them, at which point I noticed out of the corner of my eye that they were bleeding clear. While this was nice as clear blood is nowhere near as unpleasant as actual blood, it confirmed that the two were fey, same as our living companion. I have never eaten fey before, and it is certainly not recommended. Nobody knows what effects it will have, even if it is plausible. By then, however, it was too late. Since we went ahead with butchering them, I thought we may as well not let it go to waste. However, I do not plan to eat the meat unless we have nothing else. Perhaps it may be useful if we need to poison someone.
As this was happening, Khamet decides to ask some more of his idiotic questions of me. Why is it that he always approaches others with at least some degree of curiosity, however hamfisted, but with me, he is derisive? This time, he asked me if my people are cannibals! The notion! Why would we ever eat our own? Animals are a gift that we take which would be rude to refuse. The death of one of our own is a tragedy. It would be disgusting to eat one of our own kind! Let the other animals take them and then they can go back to the forest through them, just as they go back to the forest through us. But of course, how could he understand? He never listens to a word I say. Why do I even bother?
Finally, we set off again on the way to Cai Shaan by way of the centaur outpost. On the road, a rather amusing thing happened. Travelling along, I suddenly got strange, vivid sensations from Aytal. His senses were magnified and he was seeing colours that were not there. Turns out that Yeet had shared some berries with him which were, in fact, hallucinogenic to those who are not goblinoids. She thought she had broken him! Indeed, Aytal seemed that way. He was writhing on Yeet’s neck, pawing at things that were not there. While amusing, it was highly distracting and a little unpleasant. I decided to dismiss him until the effects wore off. Unfortunately, I did not think to warn the poor girl and she thought that she did something wrong! She is sweet. I am going to miss her.
We continued, taking the fork in the road that led to the centaur outpost. However, as we walked, suddenly, Khamet stopped us. At first, I was not sure why. He called back that we needed to go in the opposite direction. Especially me. I was confused until I looked ahead and saw what he saw: a tripwire, flanked by two dogs.
Ragnailt’s dogs.
I did not need to be told twice. My heart felt like it was going to explode out of my chest. All I could think about was running. So I did. I heard her somewhere, in the trees, order her dogs after me. Looking back, I saw her. Seeing her in person was even more terrifying. I asked her what she wanted, and she replied. She wanted my life. And the name she called me…she still thinks that.
(cont.) Session SeventeenI had no time to call back a rebuke. All I could do was run. My life literally depended on it. I could not remember ever being so scared. That was when the darkness enveloped me, comforting like a blanket. I could see thanks to my lady’s blessing but I knew she could not. I hid in the darkness, gasping for air. Outside it, Hatar stopped, and it was clear from him striking the earth with his hoof that he wanted me to get on him. However, I did not want to leave. I was afraid what Ragnailt would do to my companions in her attempt to get to me. Or the opposite: what she could reveal to them.
Anthony and Khamet put one of the dogs to sleep and Yeet was handling the other one well, leaving Ragnailt. I was too exhausted to handle more of my lady’s strength right now. For a moment, I considered calling on her for more power, paying the price later, but I did not dare, knowing what happened last time. I could always blast her with simple spells but Khamet’s words hung over my head: that if I hurt her, he would hurt me. That was too powerful a threat to ignore. Instead, I decided to give Tally a hand through magic. I gave her the blessing and retreated into the comfort of the dark, instructing Aytal to help Yeet. He liked the little goblin girl; I did not want to separate them.
Tally stood in front of me, or rather, in front of the darkness. It seemed like she was ready to defend me. Luckily for us both, Ragnailt’s shot went wide. I enjoyed a brief moment of satisfaction and hope that perhaps she had lost her touch.
At this moment, I saw Khamet step up to her. They spoke, I know that much. I did not hear what was said but I saw her lower her scarf, exposing her scars. From her, I also heard the word “fire”. My heart sank. She was so close to telling him. I feared that if Khamet knew what she knew, he would do her job for her. There was almost nothing I could do to prevent it. I was trapped.
As if it was not bad enough, the protective cocoon of darkness dropped. I suddenly was out in the light, almost blinded by the sun above, and exposed to Ragnailt’s assaults. I needed to get away.
Luckily, Hatar was still nearby, eager and impatient to get me away. Yeet had by now taken care of the other dog and began to run away. My instincts overtook me. I grabbed the little goblin in an attempt to save her and mounted Hatar. I had never ridden anything before so simply held on for dear life, clutching Yeet. I tried to get the others to run, to follow, and dispatched Aytal to make sure they did.
Once he had reached them, I half dismounted, half fell off Hatar (much to his chagrin) and peered through Aytal’s eyes to see what was going on. The whole group looked shocked and stunned. I could see by the looks on their faces that something was deeply wrong. Ragnailt was not fighting them. They were speaking. So she must have told them something awful. It could only have been one thing.
It was too late. The worst had happened.
I returned to a very worried Yeet asking me what was wrong. It figures; she had never seen me peer through Aytal’s eyes before. I barely had the energy to reply. She asked if it was safe to go back. For her, it was safe. Ragnalt had departed just as I had left Aytal’s senses. For me, however, I was not sure.
I thought about running. To go back to being alone, wandering, how I was before I met these people. However, I found myself paralyzed. I did not want to be alone. I liked them, even if they probably hated me now. They also found it in their hearts to forgive Crezonis somehow. And I knew if I ran, their punishment for me would be ten times worse than if I stayed, especially from Khamet. They were too good at tracking down evildoers. They did it to Crezonis, they would do it to me. So I simply sat down and accepted my fate.
Aytal contacted me. Tally had found him in a tree hole. They wanted to see me. With the heaviness of one walking to his own execution, I asked him to bring them to me, and waited.
I don’t’ know how long it was before they arrived. When they did, I told them everything. I could not lie even if I wanted to: Anthony had cast the spell again, Zone of Truth, which I had no will or energy or resist. I thought at that moment, it was all over. Indeed, I even asked Khamet if he was going to kill me. He did not refute it but he launched straight into an enraged diatribe. In that moment, I thought I would prefer a quick death by the sword rather than the slow, lingering pain of their anger, of being abandoned by the first people I would deem to call friends.
Khamet was the one who did most of my interrogation. He mostly did it by shouting, which in hindsight could have been worse. At the time, I did not even care: I was too pained by recalling the memory and the more silent, agonising judgement of the others. For the first time since it happened, I was forced to confront what I had done. Had it not been for Aytal’s company, I doubt I would have been able to get through it without breaking down. It was nearly impossible enough as it was.
They all now know everything, or at least what matters. The few details I left out do not change the picture much. I told them about how I was exiled for consorting with my lady Malka. The clan elders thought that she was too dangerous and I refused to give her up, so they banished me. How I then went to her and formed the pact. Once it was done, my desire to prove myself burned within me. I begged her to let me channel more of her power than I could take at that moment, to show them what I was now capable of. I strode into their meeting, telling them to take me back and give me greater freedom and authority than before. When they refused me…
Why did I do it? Killing them was a thought that crossed my mind even before I strode there, full of my lady Malka’s power, but that white hot rage…I have tried to avoid thinking about it for so long, ever since I left my forest, since I left Varentar. I was not ready to confront it, but my companions forced me. Recalling those feelings, I remembered why I avoided them: the guilt, the fear, the misery they summoned was overwhelming. I did not even care that I was crying or shaking. Even thinking about it again is making my eyes hurt.
…I’ll continue. I want to understand what happened so that it never happens again.
I killed my entire village, even my fathers. For all the anger and hurt I felt at their betrayal of me to the elders, I loved them. I loved them both so much. I miss them dearly. I would give anything to have them back. But it is not just them; it’s everyone. Even those people who I never cared much for, I still would not go as far as to kill them, and now that they are dead, I miss them. Ragnailt and the elders…perhaps they deserved their fates for what they did to me, but even the rage I felt when killing them scares me.
I hope they do not come for me like Ragnailt did. But such a thing is beside the point.
Why did I do it? I struggle to understand. Looking within myself, I know I was angry at my clan. I hated how they looked down on me, how they thought of me as less and relegated me to menial tasks, how they stifled my desires and wants for the sake of “tradition”. But I was not as angry as I felt that way. It felt almost like my mind was not my own.
Amani did suggest that perhaps lady Malka had some sort of influence on me. I…I do not want to think about it. I already am beginning to feel the belief that she is a fey cracking under me. If she also played a part in this, I do not know what I would do.
Why would she do that? She has nothing to gain from me killing my whole clan. It’s impossible. Besides, I felt that anger and humiliation before, all my life, albeit not on such an overwhelming scale. No, more likely it was just me. At least that way, I can try to make sure it never happens again. Not with my new friends or anybody else. Perhaps if they- no, nobody deserves that.
I need my lady. I need her like a plant needs air or light. Khamet proposed severing the connection between me and her just as we did between Crezonis and Arcaito. I thought I would vomit at that point. That way, I would lose everything. I am already half-convinced I lost my new friends. They seem far more distant from me than ever before. I cannot also lose her. I would go back to being nobody. No, it would be worse: I do not even have my home and my clan to fall back on. Lady Malka is the only thing I have left at this point. Even if I could survive the heartbreak of losing her and somehow muster the treachery to betray her after all she had done to me, I would not survive the aftermath. No matter what Khamet insists. What use is centuries of life if there is nothing that one can even do with them?!
Also, I am not a cad. I was far more distracted by other things at that moment to correct him but while I am guilty of many crimes (some of which, in my opinion, are not even crimes), I have never been disrespectful towards women or men. I never led on or gave false hope to the few firbolgs in my clan who had an interest in me. They were annoying and I mostly ignored them.
Though speaking of Khamet, he did say something that is preying in my mind. That is, right after he continued to berate me and hammer in all my feelings of guilt. He told me that, apparently, there are several ribbons coming out of me that feel like desecration. He senses them with his gift from his god. I cannot even begin to think of what those could be. I have nothing to draw on to even begin forming theories. Assuming this is not some of his ridiculous rambling akin to his belief that you summon creatures from dung- though he seemed deadly serious (it is hard to tell with Khamet)- that terrifies me. That there is something there I am not even aware of.
Of course, this is giving him more credit than I should, since again, he was serious thinking creatures come from dung. But I also saw him cast what looked like a spell, at least to my mind. That seemed to confirm it.
He also wanted to turn me in to the city for mass murder. I had to resort to begging him not to do that. I do not want to be jailed. I regret what I did. Is it not enough? I am not like the bandits.
At least Basil was on my side. I am grateful for that little halfling. He really does have a good heart.
I really do not understand why he hates me, why he thinks I have nothing good about me. I am intelligent, I am articulate, I am polite, I do my best to be kind, even if it does not come naturally to me. Though we did reach an understanding of sorts. I would try harder to be kind, to be good as he and the others understand it, even if it baffles me why some things are kind when others are not. But if it helps make up for what I did then so be it. I will do my best to help and show kindness to everyone, even those who don’t deserve it, like Volan or Vaan or Crezonis.
Crezonis…no, we’re nothing alike! We cannot be. Arcaito used him, literally puppetted him along. It’s not like that with me. It cannot be.
But he was given a chance to change, to redeem himself. Reminding them of that, I think my companions, Khamet especially, decided to give me help and advice on how to change. I am grateful for that. I do not think it is going to be easy. Even now, I still do not understand where to even begin or how to do this. But I am going to try. If it means not losing them and not losing my lady Malka, I will try to do it. Maybe, who knows, I may even grow to derive enjoyment from doing good for goodness sake like other people seem to do? Like my fathers did.
I do hope, as Tally said, that Lady Malka will also take kindly to this and help me. I do not think I can manage without her support.
To reiterate, what I have to do is:
Think about the wellbeing of others around me.
Respect them, even if I do not think they deserve respect.
Do things even if they do not benefit me.
I think that was the basics of it? There may have been more but that was what it boiled down to. It seems so easy to write down, but I still cannot wrap my mind around it. I never have been able to. My fathers also tried to teach me this, but I never grasped the concept. Maybe now that I am older, even if by a little, I can try again. I have much more reason to now. I do not have to be contrary in order to assert myself from the control of the elders and my clan.
Oh, yes, Tally also said that I must control my anger. Accept it and find other outlets for it. That is also something I have never been good at. It comes so naturally to her, however. I wish I could learn her secrets. Perhaps I still could. It may be something she was taught at the temple. Even more reason for me to go there.
She has so much going on beneath the surface, I can tell. Yet she is still such a good, amazing, kind person. I envy her a little. She has had a dark past and done awful things, there is no doubt about that just based on what she says and how she acts, but the fact that she is who she is today gives me some hope. Perhaps someday, I can also climb to that level.
One positive did some out: at least for now, my companions are not leaving me. We are still travelling together. Now, with all this out in the open, I have no reason to hide anything more from them. They already know the worst thing and they are still around.
It…feels nice, to not have anything to hide. All my life I have spent hiding things from various people. It’s strange, but it is pleasant. I think maybe I shall continue to be honest with them. That is, after all, also a nice thing, right?
I wonder if my fathers would be proud of me. I hope they would be. Maybe if I ask myself what they would do, it may be easier to do this.
Though Amani…there is a wedge between us, one I have not been able to overcome yet. That upsets me greatly. They are the best friend I have out of the entire group. I thought they would be shocked, but this seems like something else. I wonder if they heard the rumours in Varentar about my clan and its destruction and now realise what happened. Or perhaps something from their own past which means my story hit a little too close to home.
Later, we should talk. Once all this has settled a little, I want to speak to them and work things out. I believe we can work things out. They just need some time.
I was exhausted. However, the day did not end there. There was yet more. I do not know if I can recall it as well because the events of the morning are seared into my mind at the expense of everything else, but I will try.
I found out what the device was that Basil found on the ground, the one that belonged to Yeet. Upon my request, she gave it to me to hold, and for a moment, I saw myself flying above the mountains, feeling wind beneath my wings. It was amazing. It was like seeing through the eyes of a dragon.
Which, in a way, I was doing. Yeet, once upon a time, knew a real dragon! Imagine that! A goblin is rare enough but she also knew a dragon. I say ‘knew’. Apparently, some people- Yeet did not specify- took the dragon and somehow, whether through magic or other means, turned her into a thing of gears and metal. The thought of a natural creature, let alone one as magnificent as a dragon, being made into a machine creates in me a primal revulsion I cannot describe. Afterwards, they made her do…something. All I got from Yeet was that it was nothing good.
The dragon’s name, from what I gather, was Vinsiraala. Either her or one of the people who subjugated her. Some people came to destroy her. I presume the device is all that remains of her. This all happened in a place called Sureshelter, where the goblins used to live. Yeet is looking for them. That was why she is going to Cai Shaan.
I promised her that I would try to find out where the goblins went. That will be one of my many attempts to do good. After all, that is something that will not benefit me but will make her happy? And she is a sweet girl; she should be happy. It’s hard for one to be alone, let alone one so small.
I also managed to ask Anthony about his rather annoyed conversation with his box, though it did come about because I overheard a conversation between him and Tally. He may need our help dealing with an immortal. That should be…interesting. I really should pry him for more details on who this immortal is. I suspect it is different from such immortals as Arcaito. It is, I must admit, exciting. Helping Anthony will be kind, even if it involves fighting someone, I presume.
We finally reached the centaur territories. Still shaken from recalling my past, I hung back. Khamet did most of the talking. His introduction of me was repeating that same old belief he had of me watching people in the bathroom and being a pervert. Normally this would irritate me but hearing such an old, familiar cliché was oddly comforting. After all, there are much worse things that he could say. Luckily, if they registered Khamet’s words, they did not act upon it.
The two centaurs we met could not have been more different. One was an older, grandfatherly type. The other was a young, rather sweet-looking centaur whose personality and attitude was just as sunny as her appearance. However, when Tally mentioned the letter she was delivering, from Crezonis to Plutonea. Apparently she was his wife? I did not even realise he had been married. He hardly seemed the sort.
As the centaur, whose name was Myderion, lead us towards where Plutonea would be so Tally could deliver her message. They did not notice the fey lizard with us. Perhaps they assume that he was a regular lizard. On the way, however, before we released him, he did tell us why everyone was targeting Anthony. I thought perhaps it was revenge for putting an Arcaito-possessed Crezonis to sleep. I was, in fact, wrong. It was merely because he seemed like the weakest because he did not have armour or many. I do not think this is quite fair. Anthony is hardly weak, especially with use of his odd box.
Eventually, we arrived at our destination and met with Plutonea. She was taller even than me, albeit not by much. Her demeanour was serious. She did not seem to wish to meet with us. Nevertheless, she took the letter from Tally and read it in front of us. I do not know exactly what the contents of it were, and my attempts to be nice prevented me from trying to read it through Aytal’s eyes to satisfy my curiosity. That is apparently a bad thing. But apparently, we should have been here two days ago.
Once we had gotten over our surprise, she explained to us that a delegation had come from Ur and told her of the situation with Crezonis. I asked her what they said, hoping to learn what had happened to him. I do not know. Perhaps it was due to wishing to know how he ends up. Plutonea was rather evasive at first but told us that the matter of what to do with Crezonis is complicated by Arcaito’s involvement. As such, execution is uncertain. At that, I felt an odd sense of relief. Maybe, contrary to what I stated before, I do feel some reflection of myself in Crezonis. Even though I still intend to rise further than he ever did, to not repeat his mistakes, if I do fall, I want to know what awaits me. His is the best example I have at this moment.
Tally continued to speak with Plutonea. At one point, I may have been mistaken, but she attempted to flirt with her? That could not have been correct. Before anybody could clarify, Khamet cut her off to ask Plutonea more of his usual questions. I could feel everyone around me bracing. He first asked about the politics of the island, specifically the conflict between the elves and centaurs concerning Deyn. Plutonea had very neutral opinion of this. In fact, I got the impression it was not something she even considered her problem.
Khamet more than made up for it with his next comment: he said Plutonea and Crezonis should seek marriage counselling. While a tactless thing to say in the first place, it was even more tactless when he realised that the two were divorced. Khamet, however, kept digging himself in deeper by implying Crezonis ran off with Arcaito. I am quite sure that is not “nice”? If he acts like that, what right does he have to lecture me? I am not even sure why he thought Crezonis was romantically linked with Arcaito. They hardly seemed to have that kind of relationship.
Was it because of me? That is ridiculous. Me and my lady have a very different relationship.
By this point, I did not want to listen to more. Plutonea also was getting tired of his blithering. Before she left, Tally offered her some of the money we got from the lords of Ur for capturing Crezonis, because that is simply how Tally is: generous to a fault. Plutonea refused. However, this did prompt me to take a chance to do another good deed, so I asked.
She directed me towards a child- no, a baby- who was being watched by an older centaur: her mother. I was instructed to watch him for a while. This…I was never good with children. I avoided them whenever possible. Here, however, I could not back out; Plutonea was already gone and I did not want to seem like I did not want to do good. So, I went over to the child and did my best to distract him with Aytal. I figured children would like small, fluffy things. However, the baby continued to eat dirt?! Not knowing what else to do, I picked him up and told him not to do that. He did not seem to understand me.
I did not know what to do until Amani came over and helped me. Together, we managed to keep the boy- whose name I found out to be Mikerios- alive. I realised this must have been Crezonis’s son. Amani distracted him with lights while I used mage hand to keep him out of the mud and dirt. His grandmother eventually came back and immediately scolded us for holding him wrong. It is hardly my fault I do not know what to do with a child. However, I hope the boy will be fine. I gave his grandmother a little gold for him. After all, his father is gone from his life. That is not easy. I would know, doubly so.
We left the captured bandits with the centaurs. They are going to check with the elves to see if they wished to claim them. We were not rewarded but I suppose that is how it is. I did not dare to ask for more. It seemed to be pushing our luck.
Once we left, we pushed up to Cai Shaan, Yeet continuing to follow us. Thankfully, there were no more incidents until we made camp. Once we were set up and had eaten, I wanted to be alone for a while. I could not face the others, and I had to reflect. I do hope that in time, they will realise I do mean what I say. That I did not want to do what I did, and that I never want to do it again.
Meallán Lynxheart
***
I am shaking. I do not even know where to begin.
After I had finished writing my last journal entry, I sat back, stroking Aytal and trying to soothe my mind. That is when I heard her.
She has never spoken to me first. I always initiated contact. Until this night. I am quite sure I did not call out for her. She asked me if I doubted her. If I was ungrateful.
Hearing that, I almost wanted to scream, except I knew it would alert the others. Given their misgivings about her, I did not want to draw their attention.
I tried to assure her that I did not doubt her. She must have felt the hesitation and shaking in the thoughts I projected. At that moment, I felt it again: the surge of power, same as that night. For a second, I could not help but exhilarate in that sensation of strength before I remembered what had happened last time. The emotions that power had brought out. Suddenly, I was terrified. Terrified of the emotions. Terrified that my feelings would come out again and I would do something to my friends.
As quickly as it came, it went away, and I found myself craving it. I desperately wanted that power back. That is when she reminded me that she could take away everything. What was more, she assured me that my clan deserved to die.
Her words were so soothing. I almost believed her. Then I remembered the enraged expressions of my companions at learning of my crime, and the screaming faces of the bodies that I woke up to.
But I still wanted the power, and I still wanted her. I told her that much. I begged her not to leave me, fearing that she would feel my hesitation and take it as disloyalty.
However, I made a mistake. I confessed that I feared what my companions were going to do. Lady Malka rebutted, asking why I should care about their opinions, that I never needed anyone else. I told her the truth; that I wanted them to stay. I liked having them around as my friends.
She said nothing more after that. I feared I had offended her. If I had to choose, I would choose her. Yet I do not want to pick between them. Please, please don’t make me choose.
I was shaking still when Khamet came over. I confess, he was the last one I wanted to hear from at that moment. He asked me what was happening. I told him everything, exactly, just as he wanted. Including the fact that right there, I was scared of her for the first time. After this morning, it was much easier to admit being vulnerable, even to Khamet. In the moment, that confused me.
He did tell me something disturbing: the ribbons of desecration he mentioned earlier pumped something into me when she gave me that power. He thinks that she is no good and that I am no good as long as I am with her.
I can accept that. I doubt Khamet will ever think I am a good person anyway so there is no point in trying to be good, at least for him. I want to be a better person so I do not hurt people as much as I did with my clan. So I do not lose anything like that ever again.
The conversation ended at an impasse. I know he wants me to give Malka up because he is convinced she is bad. So many people have done that before. However, he did not push me, which I appreciate. I want to make up my own decision about her. I’m tired of people trying to do what is best for me.
Nevertheless, we did not shout or argue at each other. That was nice. I thought I did not care, but not being yelled at or being the target of a barb for once was pleasant. I wonder if we can keep this up.
I’m exhausted. I think I will go to sleep. It has been such a long, agonising day. Perhaps tomorrow will be better. It can only get better, right?
Meallán Lynxheart
***
At last, we are finally in Cai Shaan. It has taken us two days to travel up here from the centaur lands. The closer we approach, the stranger Amani has behaved. More strange than usual, I should note. They are still leaving the group on their own for a while and now they have begun experimenting with disguising themselves. Sometimes it takes me a second to realise it is them.
It was a relief to enter forest once again. Out on the plains, I felt exposed. Aside from the sea crossing, which I mostly spent inside the boat, I had never seen such a wide, open expanse. It was uncomfortable. It was also curious to see humans among the elves here, unlike in Ur.
Anthony is concerned about Tyzol back in Deyn. I will have to send her a message soon. I do hope that Cai Shaan will have birds that can fly long distances inland. I would use a gull, but I fear it will fly out into the sea. My few attempts at conversation have given me the impression that they are highly independent birds.
As we arrived at the gates, there was a very colourful halfling waiting for us. Or rather, waiting for Yeet. Once she saw him, she was overjoyed. This was the person she had been looking to meet in Cai Shaan. One of her troupe, I believe. He seemed quite fatherly to get and wanted to usher her away, but she wanted to say goodbye to us first.
I admit, I am rather sad seeing this little goblin girl go. She was sweet, and rather quick in a fight, I must add. Aytal was also exceptionally fond of her. He barely left her side these past three days, though thankfully he avoided the berries after what happened.
Yeet gave us all parting words and gifts. She drew a little thing for Khamet based on his stories, which he apparently read to her at some point. I would say ‘poor girl’ but she liked them enough to draw a picture to go with them. He was very flattered, as one would imagine. She did, however, also produce a small portrait of all of us! It is a child’s drawing, but the effort was clearly there and appreciated. She drew everyone, including myself. It made me feel very warm and loved. It made me even more determined to find out something about the goblins for her. Perhaps if I can find a library in Cai Shaan, I will send her a message with the results of my research.
Yeet left with the halfling and we went to the gates of Cai Shaan. By this point, Amani had disguised themselves. The guard asked for a pass, which we did not have, but they produced one. Odd. They never mentioned they were from Cai. They also are using a pseudonym: Inima. Which if I recall, is a name from Khamet’s fanfictions? Are they a fan too?!
Regardless, thanks to them, and saying that we are here to fight the sea monster, we managed to get in. Khamet almost ruined it by acting very suspicious but the guards did not pick up on it, despite one staring very intently at him.
Tally asked them about the sea monster before we went in. Thanks to her, we learned some interesting information. The monster is large, with a beak and tentacles, and it has been killing a lot of people, although he was uncertain if it was also eating them. We were advised to stay away from the shore if we were not fighting it. For more information, we are supposed to speak to Usavias, the master of trade, who lives near the lord of Cai’s residence.
Before we fight, however, I want to do some things. For one, I have no more incense for Aytal. And I am still determined to be kind. Perhaps I should go search for what I need now.
Meallán Lynxheart |
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