Travelling once again

Well, we had one heck of a night after we returned from the Merchant Kings little feast. Eldove wasn't feeling too well, retching on her bed and shivering from fever. Amariel took a closer look at the bitemark and noticed there was something still in there so I helped hold Eldove still whilst she removed what turned out to be one of the fangs of the vampire that bit her. Afterwards she passed out and then for a while she.... died. We did our best but nothing really seemed to work. But after we had almost given up hope she suddenly wakes up but something was odd about her. Her right eye was black with a white omega symbol on it. And she had one of those on her tongue too. But we'll see if that will help her stay her sharp tongue in the least. But where was I? Oh yes, the mark. Well, there was something else too. She now had some strange magical powers too. And she spoke of something called "Omega, The Last". Like, she met it whilst she was dead or something. If Halla is to be believed, Eldove is now something akin to a witch.
 
I think I met a witch once during my travels, nut I'm not sure if she was. She did have weird powers, but she said she had learned them from a book, not given them by some divine or demonic patron like some say. Though some said the book was cursed and was in truth her patron. But I never got to know the truth for our paths didn't cross for long.
And this Omega. I think I've heard some legends about some kind of old and forgotten gods, or demons, or something. And she might've had a counterpart too. Possibly something like "The First" since she is "The Last", I don't know.
 
But I digress. Afterwards the others went shopping for some equipment we might need for our travels whilst I stayed behind finishing the potion I had started to make earlier that morning. I had this weird idea of trying to grind a tiny piece of the starstone I had with me into the potion. Just to see what kind of effect it might have. When I asked Halla about it she was a bit mad I'd say. But you never know when something like that might come in handy. She said it will most definitely have adverse effects on the drinker. Good for tricking bad people then.
 
But when we tried to find a boat to get to Dragon's Tail we heard that the river is blocked by the wreckage of a ship. Some sort of explosion they say. I have my suspicions about what caused the explosion though...
So we had no choice but to walk to Dragon's Tail, since renting or buying a horse would be much too expensive. It took us a few days, but we got there. On the first day we came upon a wedding celebration between a drow and an orc. A most unusual couple to say the least, but who am I to judge. I've kept stranger company during my travels. And besides, they offered for us to join in the revelries and we did.
The next day we ran into trouble though. On a crossroads we were suddenly attacked by a... bulette, boulete, something like that. Never seen something like that before. Halla recognized it immediately though. Apparently it's a big scourge in dwarwen lands. The strangest thing about it was that it could dig and move underground as smoothly as if it were a shark underwater. I guess that's why it's also called landshark by some, according to Halla. But we dispatched it soon enough and took from it whatever we might find useful. Mostly it's scales though. And a couple of it's teeth. But darn were they difficult to get.
On the third day we came across this flimsy makeshift tollbooth that was operated by a couple of peasants who thought they could just put up a tollbooth anywhere. They were soon convinced to abandon their endeavor and we continued on our journey.
 
Before we arrived in Dragon's Tail however, we noticed there was some sort of little fighting ring just off the road in the bushes. And one of the combatants seems to be familiar with our Eldove. After... he... noticed her 'he' quickly ended the match and marched right to her. Now I must say that after that one experience in that certain establisment I have not really liked people whose gender I have not been able discern just from their looks. And this person was exactly like that. Apparently 'he' is Sergio but until I see for myself I don't know what to make of 'him'. So I couldn't help myself but join cracking out a few insults together with Eldove. I must say, I've grown to like our sharp tongued bard witch. And everyone else in our little mottley crew. Didn't think I'd come to trust anyone after what happened with Dai Ji, but well, here we seem to be.
Afterwards we continued to the city and while Halla, Eldove and Amariel went to look for a library the rest of us went to look for a place to stay the night. And wouldn't you know it, our good Kaerwyd already has some fans and we were offered free rooms in a local establisment. And in one of the best in the city too. Later I tried to go look for a blacksmith to make something out of my landshark teeth but I got lost. Damn streets and alleys all look the same around here...
 
But that about sums up our first few days on the road towards White Path. I should try asking around the port if anyone has seen Dai Ji lately. If luck is on our side she too has headed to the same direction as us, but I doubt she has. I suspect she has either stayed in Fourways or left for one of the other city states of Craterium, other than White Path. I highly doubt she would go there. I'm not even sure why WE are going there, something about a vision both Eldove and Darvin had that seems to point to White Path. We'll see what fate brings. May the great ancestor watch over us...