"Journal of a Goliath" Petrichor || Aldrich

The journal of the goliath, Aldrich, as translated by Tinkle Gnomington, esquire: [From the desk of Tinkle Gnomington, Evermore history hobbyist and professional cat wrangler]
** Oh Joy! I’ve found the most wonderful manuscripts to translate and archive – a unique first hand account of the destruction of the western capital and the events that followed! They all laughed at a man of my stature for learning the language of giants but it will all pay off now! Initial impressions of the documents are as follows: · Documents appear to be a journal belonging to a fellow of goliath descent named Aldrich, a servant of some god/deity unspecified in the accounts · Though composed of many, many pages these notes appear to show a complete disregard for the materials used. Aldrich writes the entire account in giantish with a single runic marking often filling a whole page. It is not uncommon for a single sentence to fill nearly ten to twelve pages. · Penmanship is remarkably poor throughout – grammar is acceptable but translation errors are expected due to the script quality and my own limited scholarly prowess in the giantish language. **
“They said Follow the Signs. So I Follow the Signs” “The masked one gave me that one command after bestowing this mark on my visage. A respite from my exile he promised. A new path reforged from the fate bestowed by the herd. So I Follow the Signs” “Too many groups – churches – cults – one after the other. Each one with teachings to learn from, but the same object of worship under a new name. The Watcher. Indominus Nocta. The One Who Feeds. They lay the Signs” “The Signs bring me to bitter cold. A city built on frozen grounds. A grand cathedral. This is the Sign.” “This time is different. The place of worship here is barren. There are no more Signs.”
**The journal accounts seem to skip a chunk of time. It is unclear whether this was a conscious decision of the writer or if my documents are incomplete**
“We have traveled south for weeks. The prophet speaks of messages sent to him – his own Signs. The angry girl grumbles incessantly – always something new, though I hear the names Thrn’k and Asher repeated the most. The priest is silent – I know him from tales heard in early parts of my pilgrimage though whether he is the same man now I do not know”
**Subject often refers to his companions as prophet, priest, and angry girl though rare sections do include proper names – Thelise, Sahlrek, and Althea -- these names have been substituted into parts of this translation to improve the legibility of the account** “A great tree grants sanctuary to our travels. The host offers us fortunes told. I am wary but perhaps I have not adapted to the loss of the Signs. She offers me a card with tales of challenges issued by an empress in red. Is this a Sign? It does not feel the same as those that guided my pilgrimage before.” **The next several pages consist of poor attempts at sketching the card referenced in the account. Through extensive deliberation and consultation with a local fortune teller I’ve concluded it is likely to be the “Page of Swords” from a tarot card deck** “Salvation’s Reach. I had traveled much of these lands but never heard the name. Our journey south has ended here – a ruin along the coast. Here though the disappearance of the Signs finally makes sense.” “HE walks among us. The one with many names. I freeze unable to understand the meaning of it all. He speaks to the prophet. A chastisement – a challenge issued.” ** The following pages detail an incomplete and muddled account of a fight between Aldrich and his companions versus an orc chief with the ability to absorb magics cast around him. Initially the fight seems to go in favor of Aldrich and his companions before the orc receives aid in the form of an earth elemental riding halfling and a porcelain masked swordsman** “Both sides call for the dropping of armaments. I comply before delivering a gauntleted fist to the face of the orc chief on the ground. Unhappily I step away. My three companions spend the rest of the night discussing with the three newcomers. HE watches quietly and in my own way I do the same” “A new dawn and Sahlrek finally speaks. Words of former friends , prizes won, and treasures squirrelled away into hiding. A dwarf kingdom building incredible machines to be used in the times to come. HE grants us passage. We travel even farther south now.” “My armor is painted black and I dawn my helm. Thelise obscures his features in cloth. Althea dons the visage of a middle age woman, bookish and stern. Sahlrek leads us to the gates of the dwarven stronghold.” “Within there are wonders that are only whispered of from times long past. Weapons and machines of all manner but none more impressive than the airships. I now understand why we have come. The dwarves claim no leader though we speak with one that has the bearing. Hester sees through the disguises but cares little. We want the same things and that is enough. Promises are made to a heart bent on vengeance and in return I now write from the air. In all my pilgrimage, I never did make it to the capital” “Fire and chaos. The seat of western Evermore is in disarray as we arrive. Riots in the street but one scene stands out amongst the rest. The Herald stands tall against a small and battered force. Sahlrek barks the order to fire. Never had I heard a sound so deafening as volley after volley of cannon fire hits the street with pinpoint precision. The dust clears with the legendary figure ground to nothing beneath the forces of dwarven ingenuity. I blast a war cry from my horn in triumph as the prophet conjures a writhing calling card into the air around us. Our presence is known” “Shadows from above. Althea spits out a curse at the sight of a pair of dragons and riders. A small blue and a massive amethyst drake. The blue diverges as the other unleashes a massive blast of force at the ship. We hold off the beast as best we can as wave after wave of force breaks apart the ship. Hester finds his bearings and locks the ship onto course before being utterly destroyed by the dragon’s breath. The ship’s cannons shred the beast’s wings. The dragon crashes towards the ground as we land in the waiting inferno below. The ship holds course and the tower of Draxus is brought low. Luckily we are able to regroup before the amethyst wyrm attacks once again. The battle is quick and brutal, the prophet offers our foe unto HIM and it is delivered. The drake is consumed whole by HIS voracity. But indigestion is on our side as Thelise regurgitates a few souvenirs. I will carve a replacement horn for the one lost in the crash from one of this great foe’s fangs.” ** The next several pages are ruined by what looks to be staining from either blood or tomato paste. The intact fragments mention a group of 13 or “The 13”, the arrival of a dwarvish engineer, Althea bringing in an old acquaintance, and a massive address to the survivors in the western capitol. The next legible passage picks up after what seems to have been an ambush. The period of time between felling the dragon and this event are unclear** “Drow. Some of the other herds closer to the tundra have dealings with them but tonight was my first experience. I am unimpressed. At least their daggers and masks make good souvenirs” “We had begun to make preparations to leave the capital but Althea wished to notify our new friends of our departure. She left and we waited. And waited. Until we grew tired of waiting. The bedchamber that Arvid and Alderly share is quiet with the smell of flowers wafting throughout – Althea is not here. A knife in the dark strikes at Thelise. A drow war party. The chaos throughout the land has brought House Velv back to war. We make a quick work of the assassins but where is Althea?” “Sahlrek tracks her into the catacombs below the city. Unbreathing and alone. Maybe we all should put more stock into those fortunes now. Thelise wails in grief.” “The witch appears. Dead but not gone – Althea must be retrieved from the astral plane.” ** There appears to be a deliberate removal of a segment of the journal at this point** “Althea is back. The journey through the astral sea was her own. I tried to write my own account but it is not my place to tell" ** Again there appears to be an unclear time skip. I am unsure whether there is a loss of documents at this juncture. The remaining pages in the journal appear heavily stained at the edges by a yellowish substance. Pollen maybe? ** “HE has brought them all here. Representatives of the cities of the lands beyond. I am not worthy yet here I stand. Two fight over me. The prophet greets them all as friends. The angry girl slays one and pronounces her presence in a show of force. The priest has a most peculiar of reunions. I am rewarded for years of service blessed for the path I have walked faithfully. I no longer Follow the Signs. I make the Signs.” “We make plans to travel from the city once again. Perhaps this time there will not be any barriers in our path. I grow tired of this place. There are Signs to make and the road calls." ** End of currently completed translation. **