HEROIC TALE OF MYSTVALE - 1

YES IT IS I, SKOLVAR. Oh that's right, I was told I don't have to make all the letters big...stupid tiny words. Anyways, today was another day in this damn thick fog that sometimes rolls in and makes things dumb. It's been a week now I think since we couldn't go outside and it's strange that it hasn't cleared yet. I don't mind having to stay indoors for a longer period of time because I can still exercise and train, but the food store is running low and IT'S REALLY HARD to resist eating more than rationed. I guess it's mental training...maybe one more bit-...Oh? What are the drow ladies up to other than strutting their stuff? They just grabbed Hem and Lance out of their rooms and are meeting around the dining table with me. I gave a last look at the food and listened to what was happening. Ok, fog people are attacking our home according to Hem who said one of them cracked his window. Doesn't make much sense to me, but I'm ready to kill some fog I guess? Especially since there's a threat here then that means there's a good chance the town is in trouble too and there's no way I will sit here any longer knowing that. I'm definitely not afraid of some wannabe clouds, but the idea of going through the underground river was better. It would be nice to map that out a bit and maybe get to chop something actually solid.
 
As we traveled down the long and dark tunnel for about an hour or so, we came upon an ungodly looking creature who appeared blind and unaware of us while it snacked on what looked like the remains of someone. I'm a bit more wary when it comes to unknown enemies, and don't like to attack unless we know we have the upper hand if possible. While Lance attempted to divert it's attention with his arrows I noticed a strange ripple in the water behind him, as if the current was going around something. Figuring it's best to be safe I warned everyone to stay by the wall and away from the deeper water. Lance must have had a good idea because he fired another shot past the creature and it immediately took off after it, and at the same time the strange ripple in the water lunged out as well after the arrow...it was a second one of those things. We decided to buff up and take them out while they were distracted digging at the arrow. Having these things stay alive, especially after they murdered a poor sod, was out of the question. We attacked and Arvenna delivered the final blow to both of them in spectacular fashion, aside from the vomiting that the pungent smell of these disgusting creatures caused. I'm once again impressed with our fighting coordination, although there were no arrows in either of them. I looked at Lance who was whistling slightly and looking away. Well that's ok, I'm sure he was extremely helpful to us in a way I can't understand. Sadly, we had no way of identifying the human remains, only that she was a younger girl. Hem looked saddened and Jenel gave her the best burial she could by burning her remains.
 
We were at a crossroads, the branching path seemed to be where the body came from but I was not sure which direction it would go. As I was thinking I heard splashing coming from the non-branching path past where we felled those creatures. I could only assume more of them had smelt the meat and were on the way. Not wanting to take the risk of the unknown number of those things, we hurried down the branching path. After a long while we finally came to something of note, a well above us with a rope hanging down to the ground we were on. Hem went over first, looked up and saw that the fog was no longer heavy outside so he tugged the rope and it unfortunately came loose and fell. Hem decided to climb some rocks up to try and get the rope back up, but as he was doing so I looked up and saw a familiar pair. Well I'll be damned, that pair can only belong to one person in this town! A voice rang down asking who was there as I looked further and saw the lovely Odessa. I snapped back into it and announced it was Skolvar and friends. What came next, caught me off guard as she asked to prove who I am. What was I to do? I don't have any secrets that I keep, and I doubt she even listens to my rambling about my expert fishing methods that involve the most important steps to improve your odds of catching not only more fish, but BIGGER fish and which bait to use in certain seasons and how to lure in what you are trying to catch and all the intricacies involved....Then I heard some faint wise words in my head..."When in doubt, whip it out" Before even a second thought I yelled back, YOU MIGHT RECALL SOMETHING OR ANOTHER, YOU KNOW, BEING AROUND 9 INCHES!!!....Silence. Only the echose of "inches" bounced around the walls as Odessa's face lit up and she dropped the rope and huffed off. Oops. She remembered I suppose, but at what cost...
 
Making the climb was a bit challenging with my sweaty hands, but I made it up eventually. Upon entering the Inn I stayed right behind Lance to hopefully impeed an attack from Odessa that would involve any number of thrown kitchen utensils. Instead she was just sitting at the piano ignoring me. Hem ran over and started apologizing which gave me some courage, but I could only whisper a "Sorry" as I walked by and decided to drink something heavy at the bar out of shame. Theo and Dana were there and aside from Odessa being a little grumpy they all seemed overly thrilled to see us...or as it turned out, to see anyone at all. The whole town was covered in this thick fog like our place was, except for the Inn. Apparantly, it's been a whole month and a half here while a week has only passed for us. This kind of thing hurt my head so I focused on my drink, but then I heard Hem next to me talk about his God Ki and no one showed much interest except maybe Theo. I watched Hem's great performance as he landed square on his head, which must have taken much coordination. I told Theo to think on it. Not many gods deserve a man like Hem, and Ki sounds great. I was just speaking my thoughts, but Odessa seemed to like that so now I'm confused again because I spoke my thoughts before too in the well and she was mad. This was never much of a dilemma at first coming to this land, but over the year I've been getting really self conscious around Odessa. I'm always proud of being Skolvar and being who I am, but she makes me question things I've never really questioned.
 
After some of us went outside and tossed some rocks in the fog it started to move towards us for some odd reason. We ran back inside and jammed shut all the doors. As Lance and Arvenna were handling the front, I heard a pained yell from the room that Hem stayed in. NO ONE HARMS HEM! I ran as fast as I could and as I entered, I saw an odd silhouette that was...invisible? I jumped the table to stand opposite of "it" and Hem. Hem came down with a lightning fast slice and decapitated the thing, and immediately we got hit with a deafening screech and were thrown back with some sort of force. Hem passed out from pain, but thankfully Jenel showed up in time to heal him up. The invisible thing seemed to feel like a human of some sort, but had no skin...how can there be skin if there is no skin???? It did seem to have a cloak though which Hem brought back to the others, and it wound up being a burial shroud of some sort. After another 7 hours or so, the fog seemed to receed at sunrise and was safe again. Lance let Theo, Dana and Odessa out of the kitchen area now that it was safe and said that we would clean up the rooms since the two women were shaken. Odessa gave him a peck on the cheek. He looked at me and I didn't mind since my culture is a lot more open with that kind of stuff, but I won't lie to myself when I say that the tiniest bit of an odd feeling lingered in my chest. Hmmm, now I'm wondering if there's some fog related sickness in me? Nothing I can't sweat out I'm sure! I rushed to grab a broom and started cleaning the glass up along with Hem. We both entered the last room and saw another one of those damned cloaked things lying on the ground. Not wanting to make a scene I called in my friends to "help with something" and they all understood save for Lance. The thing seemed paralyzed on the ground and we noticed the curtain was open, and with my detective mind I deduced that it must have something to do with the curtain. Perhaps the fabric is different than other rooms or maybe it expected it to be closed and came in too fast tripping itself? So many possibilities, but the others said it was most likely the sunlight keeping it in place. Heh, that was their first thought? I mean, duh the sunlight is obviously right there but I'm one for details. Turns out I guess they were right, which must be amateur luck. We tossed the thing outside in the sun so Jenel could set it ablaze without alerting anyone.
 
We decided to let the two full elves, Jenel and Hem, do their trance before the rest of us would sleep. After I gave Hem some non-failing easy to understand sexual advancement tips since they are sleeping in the same bed and carried him to said bed, Lance and I decided to head out and see how the town was doing while Arvenna kept watch at the Inn. We started down the nearest street and there were no people to be seen and no noise to be heard except our own. We knocked on a few doors, but no one answered and I had a terrible feeling so I kept a look at all the windows for any movement. Finally, there was a curtain that moved in a house but they still wouldnt answer the door! Getting ready to bash it in, Lance took out his invisible hand things and opened it faster than I could comprehend. Now I wonder what he's all been getting into if he has that great of a skill...perhaps later I will discuss an opportunity to retrieve certain valuables from some certain people of a certain gender residing in a certain household in a certain double room that has a certain dresser with said certain valuables. Anyways, we headed inside and yelled out for the inhabitants...but no answer and the door slammed leaving just a wall where the door was. Guh, now I'm no door expert but doors don't do that, this I know for sure because walls are not doors. In the mean time, Lance used his Light on a pebble and tossed it in the room but it immediately got swallowed to a dim light in what appeared to be some unnatural darkness. I didn't understand and really wanted to hurt something, and I think Lance used mind read on me like he usually does and told me to kick the wall where the door was. I obliged and smashed it, but instead of a hole it was more like a wound...and started bleeding. HOUSES DO NOT BLEED, I KNOW THIS BECAUSE IVE MADE PLENTY OF HOLES IN HOUSES!! I deduced that this was not a normal house as the wall started to slowly heal, and wondered if Lance has thought the same yet. We headed further in and came upon a small child with his mouth sewn shut and no eyes...yes children can get on your nerves but this was way too far. Lance shot an arrow close by and it found it and pointed it at it's throat! I leaped forward by instinct but was too late as the child killed itself. Everything had gotten way too weird, I did not like any of this. We kept going and found some dead bodies in a room that had those burial shrouds on again. These didn't move so we went upstairs and found two more, except they were standing and mouthing words. Lance could figure out that they were saying, "Save yourself" and "Run". I didn't want to take advice from dead creeps, but they basically said what I was thinking. Before we could turn there seemed to be a spike like object protruding out of mine and Lance's chest. It was the child from earlier, and it went invisible right after its attack. OK I'VE HAD ENOUGH, DIE AGAIN YOU LITTLE CRETIN!! I swung down and cleaved its head down the middle and had to use my foot to get it off. I've never killed a child before, even though it was obviously a demon child, but it still sent chills up my spine. We made our escape out the front since the door reappeared, which doors don't do but I didn't care anymore. We reluctantly tried a second house but instead we decided I just smash the door in. There were five of those cloaked figures standing inside waiting and mouthing more words. I think it was something about coming in for dinner, but I would not eat anything these things made. They were disgusting and their food was probably gross too, so we stayed outside and Lance shot an explosion inside and killed three of them while also making the house bleed everywhere. This was enough fucked up shit for me and Lance agreed as we trodded back to the Inn...what are we going to do? I feel pretty grim after all that, but seeing my friends and Odessa again brought my spirits up enough to at least outwardly show everything is ok. Now time for a good snooze. GOODNIGHT SKOLVAR!