Serendipity Laughingbluff

Serendipity is the daughter of Marwrick and Thelema Laughingbluff. Her father, a traveling merchant from Halruaa, met his future wife after he settled in Zakhara, the Land of Fate. The young Tiefling girl grew up in a wealthy and harmonious environment. Her parents' relationship with the Calipha secured her a place in the Academy of Diplomacy. Alas, she was as talented as she was indifferent to this life. Eventually, her parents and her superiors grew tired of her attitude and decided it was time for her to sow her wild oats. Serendipity was sent to Inquest as an envoy, but not before her caring old father redeemed his one wish, for she should be guided and protected on her travels.

Physical Description

Allgemeiner Physischer Zustand

Serendipitys hips and bust are nearly equal in size, her waist is well-defined and narrower than both. She's of average height, her general physique lithe and lissome.

Körpermerkmale

Her cinnabar-red skin makes her stand out from most common crowds. She is partially tanned a little darker in some spots due to years of high sunlight exposure. Like many other folk with devilish roots, her head is crowned with curved aries-like horns. Finally, the long flashy tail whimsically coiling behind her back dispels any doubts one might have had about her ancestry.

Gesichtsmerkmale

She wears her silky, aubergine-colored hair long and layered. Her oval face with its high cheekbones, tapered eyebrows and flawless skin is well defined. Almond-shaped, onyx-black, pupilless eyes, further emphasized by the surrounding dark yellow sclera, twinkle from under her half-opened eyelids. Her countenance seems relaxed and controlled. While her gaze is penetrating, her enchanting smile softens the overall infernal impression.

Besondere Fähigkeiten

As one would expect from the daughter of a Succubus, Serendipity possesses innate Enchantment magic which, among other things, was the sole reason wherefore the headmaster of the academy ultimately ordered debate exams to be held exclusively within an Antimagic Field.
The majority of her magic however was bestowed upon her through a modified version of a binding ritual used by Sha'ir to enslave Geniekind. The ritual establishes a magical bond between a Genie and a Vessel and can only be completed if both parties voluntarily consent to do so.
As the Vessel of a Noble Djinn, Serendipity is able to draw on Eldritch magic. She is capable of conjuring illusions and protective barriers. She has also become adept in commanding the elements of wind, lightning and thunder and only recently her bond has grown strong enough to give her the ability to defy gravity.
Usually she is accompanied by her Gen, an elemental spirit providing the means to communicate with her patron. The summoning ritual however requires a substantial amount of fulgurite which is hard to come by.
Furthermore, her body and mind are host to a mighty spell. Such things happen when unprepared people (such as her alter ego) read from old folios or tomes that contain power much greater than their minds can comprehend. It is now lodged in her very being, waiting for something to occur that only it knows about.

Kleidung & Schmuck

As is customary for a representative of the royal court, Serendipity's attire consists of comfortable ankle-length linen trousers, over which layered fabric forms a skirt. A carefully sewn linen cloth covers her chest while her stomach remains bare. The fabric of her clothing is magically enhanced through a process called Spellweaving, providing protection similar to that of light armor.
It is not uncommon for an official of the kingdom to openly display its pomp. Many of the uncovered areas of her body are decorated with piercings made of rose gold, fine rings and rare gemstones. Most noticeable is a ruby-studded necklace, which adorns her delicate neck, as well as a magnificent signet ring with a set arcane stone on her right index finger. Her horns are crested with gold clasps and filigree chains.
She will go to great lengths to keep her well-groomed appearance. Wherever she goes, she always carries a mirror and three vials of different perfumes buckled to her left thigh with her.

Mental characteristics

Persönliche Geschichte

While some cling to the idea of predetermined destiny, others believe that luck and misfortune are individually chosen by the gods for each being brought into existence. Old tales narrate, that before a soul merges with the body, Tymora, goddess of good fortune flips a coin in the air which is then called by her sister Beshaba, godess of misfortune. If she calls it right, that person is cursed with misfortune – Serendipity being an epitome of such consequences. However, touching the icosahedron seems to have reset the result of either the coin flip or Beshaba’s guess and so Lady Luck had Serendipity escape the Braccus’ curse altogether…
In this alternate reality, Serendipity is the daughter of Marwrick Laughingbluff, a traveling merchant who settled in Huzuz in 1377 DR. He was as brave as he was audacious and earned respect and favour of Grand Caliph Khalil al-Assad al-Zahir.
In 1392 DR he meets Thelema, a renegade Succubus who had used the chaos caused by the Spellplague to escape the grasp of Baator. She had longed for independence and a mundane life.
Work in Progress.

Gender Identity

I identify as female.

Sexuality

There have been a few women and men in my life, but none have been anywhere near better than Balthazar. He certainly lived up to his position as patron. Anyway, I'm young and beautiful, I like to experiment and not every devil has to fall in love with the first halfling they meet.

Bildung

I was admitted into the Academy of Diplomacy at the age of 18. There I was taught the principles of economics, political bargaining and appropriate behaviour in the presence of royalty among other things.
(She would have graduated effortless had she not proven to be rather indifferent to her future profession. Instead, she was prematurely charged with her first diplomatic assignment and sent to Inquest.)

Mentale Traumata

I vaguely remember the past and the feelings of my alter ego. The fear and humiliation she endured as a child after being sold into slavery. Day after day she was mistreated and exploited until she was able to get rid of her chains on her own. I sense her hatred of men and her thirst for revenge when she learned of the betrayal of her own patron. I admire her for her cold bloodedness and for the fact that she somehow managed not to go insane.
(In reality, a mind unprepared should burst when exposed to such overstimulation. For now, Serendipity is holding it to together but she does not know to what extent these memories might affect her in the future.)

Moral & Philosophie

One should be bold, for to be bold is to live. But one can be bold and still have a plan.
My talents were given to me so that I could use them to benefit the world, but one has to acknowledge the importance of a healthy self-interest.
Everyone should be free to pursue his or her own livelihood. I will not tolerate slavery.
Only when a conflict cannot be resolved through discourse will I use violence.
I have great confidence in my magical abilities; I don't need a sword to fight evil.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

All my life I have been overshadowed by my parents' success. Most of our acquaintances see me as a spoiled brat, but I know that I am capable of greater things. I would like to help shape the island of Inquest and ideally bring it on a more peaceful and fruitful course. I will make a name for myself and earn people's respect. I will hone my skills and prove to Balthazar that I am worthy of being a Vessel.

Stärken & Schwächen

To be honest, I am not particularly gifted at anything craftsmanship related which is not surprising as I have never really been interested in it. Neither could I have suspected that my first diplomatic trip would lead me to a war zone in which people have to fight for their survival every day. I want to try to learn so that I can do my part.

Positive Charakterzüge

I would describe myself as open-minded and I'm very interested in understanding what makes people tick. Most of the time I use my talents to support my fellow human and non-human beings. It can take a while before I can bring myself to contribute, but when it comes down to it, I am passionate about it.
To quote my father, anything worth doing is worth doing right.
To quote my mother however, if you want someone to do something, make them think it was their idea in the first place.

Negative Charakterzüge

People often refer to me as arrogant and presumptuous. The truth is, few can hold a candle to me. But why should I feel guilty for my persuasiveness? After all, my mother is my greatest role model in that regard. However, she is also my biggest critic. She often reprimanded me for using my infernal blood because she feared her previous employers might take notice of me.
Nonetheless, I remember how my alter ego treated her companions and, according to her diary entries, she probably didn't think very highly of them. They don't deserve to be treated like that and even though I understand that trust can be difficult to build, I am going to try to make it up to them in her stead.

Hygiene

Of course, water is usually scarce in the desert and personal hygiene is paramount, but the mere thought of spending my whole day in a bathhouse fills me with bliss.

Social

Kontakte & Beziehungen

Besides my dear parents, I had to leave behind my childhood friends and colleagues; Farah, daughter of Grand Calipha Ashgan bint Janya and heiress to the throne. We grew up together and eventually attended the same school. Farah is keen-witted, very competative and an overachiever by nature. Rarely was I able to convince her to skip class. Fortunately, my friend Balthazar the Fabulous, son of Husam al-Balil ben Nafhat al-Yugayyim, also known as the Great Caliph of the Citadel of Ice and Steel, rarely needed convincing to do so and had a well-developed tendency towards mischief. He was also the one who agreed to be my patron. I think by now he must have returned to the Elemental Plane of Air and I hope to be able to visit him some day.

Familienbande

My proud parents stayed behind when I left Huzuz. Father had tears in his eyes when I boarded the ship to Faerûn. Later that night I even found a small container in my satchel, filled with all kinds of my favourite food and a small coin purse. If Mother had seen that, she would have accused him of spoiling his little devil too much again. Still, I know, her rigid nature is merely a façade. Both of them love me in their own quirky way and while I wouldn't admit it to them, I feel very grateful. Especially now that I know how it feels to grow up without parents or people you trust like my alter ego.
According to my father, relatives of ours still live in and around Halruaa, but I have not yet had the opportunity to meet them.

Religiöse Ansichten

Rather liberal I'd say. People should believe in and pray to whoever they want. Personally, I have adopted my father's faith in Tymora, mainly because I can easily identify with her creed to bear and conduct myself as my own master and to pursue my own unique goals.

Sozialkompetenzen

I'd like to believe that my ability to read people is well developed and I usually try not to take advantage of the common folk or my friends. Sometimes though, I can't help it.

Verhalten

As part of my training, I was taught to consciously control my act. It is helpful and necessary in the presence of nobles to be taken seriously, especially as a woman.

Hobbies & Haustiere

I am relatively indifferent to animals in general. In my experience, most animals are unable to have intelligent conversation and, moreover, they smell.
In my spare time I mostly dabble in the arcane. I'm fascinated by Spellweaving and Halruaan shipbuilding technology.

Sprache

Sophisticated and polite when necessary, presumptuous and sarcastic otherwise. She has a voice as soft as wild honey dripping from a tree.

Vermögens- und Finanzlage

Honestly, apart from the coin acquired by my alter ego and my families' fortune, I don't have a copper piece to my name. After seeing that the capital is in ruins, gold probably wouldn't be of much use to me anyway.

Serendipity is the creation and obsession of a horny deviant who loves to lean into stereotypes. By now she's gone through 2 iterations, died once, became a paradox and still holds on to hopes of ever ending a campaign.

Character Location

Iverbent

View Character Profile

Age

Date of Birth

13th of Flamerule, 1473 DR

Geburtsort

Huzuz, City of Delights

Children

Wohnort

Iverbent, Inquest

Gender

female

Augen

pupilless, onyx-black, yellow sclera

Haare

silky, chest-lenght, aubergine-black

Hautfarbe

cinnabar-red

Größe

1.73m

Gewicht

59,9kg

Known Languages

At home, my parents usually spoke to me in Infernal and Halfling. It was very important to them that I speak their mother tongue. During my time at the academy, Primordial was taught, among other things, as a sign of the willingness of the local population to facilitate the integration of the Genie. Of course I also speak the common language.

The Scourge of Iverbent

We awoke relatively rested the next day and interviewed the survivors again in order to determine the best possible course of action that would benefit the lot. We learned that many people had ventured to the fields in the north-west to gather food, but often returned almost dead after being attacked from an unknown and unseen enemy. At first we thought the creature might make itself invisible, but a wounded eyewitness told of a monster with wings. The group decided to find and kill the creature, and after fetching some nets from the harbor, we set off. Trying to stay hidden, we avoided the open road and instead made our way between the crumbling houses. Eventually we spotted the creature: a winged monstrosity resembling a bat sat on one of the roofs and looked down at the streets, probably searching for its next prey. It was not alone, however. A dark-clad rider sat motionless on the beast's back, armed with a huge scythe. I had a bad feeling about this and intuitively conjured a protective barrier of ice around me. This thing looked dangerous and very undead, perhaps a henchman of Godard who had stayed behind to kill the rest of the living. And there was no plan, absolutely none. I heard my alter ego scream in despair in my head. She would never have dared to take on this creature unprepared and I realized that it had been a shitty idea to be considerate of the others and not take the lead on this mission. Since it didn't seem to have discovered us yet, I was about to suggest withdrawing, but I was too late. Somebody had started the attack. The monster pushed itself off the roof with its hind legs and plunged towards Nabi, who suddenly stood in the middle of the street. It released a deafening screech that caused devastating pain to everyone. Only I was spared, probably because I had wisely sought cover behind a pillar. I cast a cautious look at Nabi. She was still standing there, her gaze fixating a distant point somewhere in the sky. She seemed completely paralyzed by the scream and showed no reaction when the enemy landed on the street a few dozen meters in front of her. The rider dismounted and started walking towards her. I briefly calculated my odds of successfully getting her out of harm’s way, but then decided to try to draw his attention instead. I released two eldritch blasts from my palm in quick succession, hitting him right in the chest. The undead figure eyed me for a moment with stoic calm before turning on its heel to return to its mount. Cid spoke a blessing at us and rushed towards the fleeing rider. Oxton, I think, rushed to Nabi and tried to shake her out of her stupor. The undead mounted his beast and rowed it. It rose into the air and shortly afterwards released that unholy screeching again. Finally, Nabi broke out of her paralysis and sprinted towards the bat. With one skillful leap, she jumped close to the animal and cast her net. It got caught in one of its claws, but provided Nabi with enough grip to slowly but steadily pull herself up its flank. Neither the rider nor the monster seemed to take much notice of her. Instead, they headed straight for the Hero’s Seat. Knowing that I wasn't an enduring runner, I closed my eyes and called to Balthazar for aid. "Lend me your strength, for I wish to safe my friend!" Suddenly gusts of wind riddled with lightning formed around my thighs and before I knew it, I whirled after the monster. In the heat of the moment, I conjured up an illusion over the enemy, hoping that they might crash. However, he seemed to be able to see through it and flew on towards the city center. As Oxton continued to pelt the undead with sacred fire, Cid attempted to catch up with the monster on foot. The moment he got there, the bat-like creature came down from the sky and struck him with its claws. At the last moment he cast a protective spell and repelled the attack. Meanwhile, Nabi tried to wound the rider with her spear, which, however, struck in the void every time the undead cleverly let his mount shift its weight. Although neither the rider nor the creature showed any visible wounds from our attacks, a final blast of eldritch energy caused the mount to crumble into black dust. The rider, however, skilfully pushed himself away from the animal and struck me with his scythe. Fortunately, I was still enveloped by my barrier and when his scythe pierced it and dug deep into my shoulder, the ice shards of my spell struck his body and destroyed it. While Nabi completed a graceful landing, it cost me the last of my strength not to fall from the sky like a wet sack. Oxton approached us with a look of concern. He put his hand on my shoulder, said a prayer and instantly my wound closed. I think he had to heal the others too, but we seemed to have gotten off lightly again. Exhausted and in robes soiled by our own blood, we made our way back.

A new Beginning in a broken Kingdom
18th of Tarsakh, 1521 DR

As the darkness around me finally dissipated, I found myself surrounded by my companions examining me curiously. “So… what exactly did you change this time around?” Nabi asked. I looked down at my body and up again. “I think, I have just rewritten my own past somehow”!? She raised her eyebrows for a moment, then shrugged. “Sure. Shall we go then”? “I guess so”. We made our way back to the entrance where we had left behind our equipment and our friends but what we found there left me shuddering for a moment. A scrawny figure in ragged clothes and greasy hair that distantly resembled Khionk sat next to a pile of rusted armour which undoubtedly belonged to… I mean was Sable. The goblin’s gaze was completely blank and it noticeably took her a lot of effort to speak. “We didn’t expect you to be alive after all these years.” Apparently our journey had taken a little longer than we thought. In her rasping voice, Khionk explained that it was about 25 years since we went down to the brewery. Rimvaul had taken over leadership of the goblin tribe until a massive army rolled through the valley and exterminated every last goblin and the old orc shaman. Judging by the banners, it was probably Godard’s force, which had marched further east after the skirmish. Khionk and Sable had managed to stay hidden and thus had survived the onslaught. We decided to return to Iverbent, but were shocked to find that the city had been almost completely devastated. The hills on the outskirts of the city were littered with pieces of armour similar to Sable's. Apparently the defenders had drawn the short straw and lost the siege in the end. I set out to examine some of the armour and found a piece displaying some kind of sigil inside. It was incomplete however and I suspected it to be the same magical compound that was used to bind Sables soul to the metal. Khionk eventually agreed to let me peek inside his armour to compare and copy the intact sigil. Maybe we could somehow reverse the process if we were to find his original body. After reaching the city gates we decided to take a cautious approach. Oxton sent his unicorn rabbit in to scout the area. He was able to control the animal within a certain distance and could see through its eyes. Cid and Nabi followed. I stayed behind with Khionk and Sable to guard Oxton’s body that appeared to be in a trance until he came to and told us that it seemed safe enough to proceed. The last survivors had barricaded themselves in the town center and were using the remains of the hero's seat as their headquarters. Inside we were happy to see that the innkeeper was still alive and had expanded her responsibilities to include the entire rest of the population. Nabi seemed particularly enthusiastic when Gwindish took her down to the cellar to get her home-brewed beer she had manufactured 25 years ago. Oxton, on the other hand, wasted no time making himself useful in the field hospital. Apparently survivors who urgently needed medical help were still being rescued from the rubble. What was left of the self-appointed city guard was directed by a gentleman named Jonzub, who briefed us on the events of the past few years. Never before in my life have I seen similar suffering and felt so useless when I realized that I did not have any skills that could help these people in their predicament. At sunset we gathered in the canteen and enjoyed Nabi’s tart beer and Gwindish's stew as best we could before going to bed, which essentially meant finding a place to sleep in between the crowd.

Beshaba called cloak and her sister smiled
17th of Tarsakh, 1521 DR

Traveling through the next passage proved to be more difficult and despite receiving a blessing from Cid I nearly drowned. This room presumably served as a distillery and contained nothing but a small cauldron. Behind this room however, a bigger cavern could be found. The walls were covered in the same bluish fluorescent mushroom we had seen before, and in the middle of it lay a gigantic blue Ooze that had formed into a cube. Cid thought it to be a good idea to introduce himself to the cube. To no one’s surprise, the cube swallowed him whole and began to digest the old man. I called out for Nabi who had already sneaked past the creature. She put her Schnöffel to good use, spooning the ooze bit by bit, spreading smaller, seemingly harmless cubes all over the ground. Meanwhile, Oxton and I bombarded it with spells and the cube lost volume ever so slightly until it finally exploded. I have to admit, I got really excited because this was the first time ever I had the chance to conjure a fireball to throw at someone or something in this case. After we caught our breath, we followed Nabi into the back of the cavern. Another icosahedron rested there. She tried to interact with the structure but this time it did not respond. I felt bold and stepped onto the pedestal. Time stopped. My surroundings had disappeared. Only I was there… and a mirror image of me vis-à-vis followed by another two to my left and right side which were mirrored again. Uncountable duplicates mimicking my every move. Looking closer, I spotted slight nuances in their appearance. A lock of hair that curled in a different direction. A faint difference in skin tone. The further away the image, the greater the differences seemed. I tried to focus and push through the overstimulation and realized that I was offered an opportunity to change my own timeline, just as Nabi had previously changed Godards. If I had had more time, I wonder if I would have chosen differently. But I didn't have that and I didn't know what to look for either. Eventually I made a choice. They say when you die, your life story flashes before your eyes before the light encompasses you. I'm sure I didn't die because the interior of the brewery was just as dark as it was when I touched the stone that now rested in the palm of my hand. Yet, when I stepped into my mirrored image, my perspective changed and I found myself staring at a much darker version of me. She was as beautiful as me, but that was about the only thing we had in common. Her delicate curves were swathed in black leather armour with a slightly asymmetrical cut. She wore tight leather pants and high boots, further emphasizing her feminine features – unlike anything similar to the couture of my homeland. However, one look in her eyes filled me with horror. They were unmistakably my eyes but their expression told a tale of sorrow and scorn, both emotions I could not relate to. I felt the urge to avoid her gaze but was unable to turn away and then, without speaking, she told me her story. Her father, a renowned and prosperous tradesman had signed a pact with a malicious entity long before she was born. The creature ultimately possessed his body and consecutively murdered her mother mere hours after she had delivered. In his remorseless cruelty, he then sold his daughter to a band of slavers who abused her and forced her to work day in and day out. It was then that she learned to hate humanity. She endured this ordeal for nearly two decades before she eliminated the leaders through a ruse and usurped their modest criminal empire. She ordered the abandonment of the slave trade within her organisation and instead focused on minor robberies, extortions, and the occasional kidnapping. One fateful day, a woman appeared to her who offered magical power in exchange for seemingly small favours. It was only later that she would learn, that her patroness was the same entity that had killed her parents years ago. Understandably enough, her experiences had left her scarred, reflected in her cold and calculating gaze. They weren’t my memories and yet, I remembered as if I had lived through it myself. Suddenly she gave me a liberating smile and I once again could hear her voice in my mind. Thank you.

Tallag the Goblin and the Mystery Ruins
15th of Tarsakh, 1496 DR

After sunrise we departed eastward. The weather was rather pleasant, a light breeze and that slight tickle of the sun on your skin before reaching the zenith. Or so I would have imagined it. This paradox-thing really turned out to be a drag… Minor conversation was going on. I was still sceptical about our new companions so I asked them about Tragnor but no one seemed to have ever heard of anyone named that way. Khionk told us she used to be a waitress at a place called “Wiatshus”. She also told us about that fateful day she met Sable when she was running from the town guard. Apparently at this point in time, Sable owned a fruit stall and hid her in between his goods (mostly watermelons) as the guards passed them. I didn’t believe a word she said but decided to put a pin in it. Meanwhile, Rimvaul took a liking to Sable and climbed into him. While her approach was less subtle I couldn’t really blame her for I too had been thinking about the possibilities of a walking undead fortress at my command. On the other hand I felt compassion toward the poor bastard; after all we weren’t all that different. So I conjured a flame beneath his bottom to smoke out the wench. Needless to say, she was treading quite straddle-legged for a while. A day of tedious roaming eventually came to an end and we set up camp near a small stream merely centimetres deep. Oxton decided to deepen the riverbed in order to provide a place for us to wash up so I borrowed him my shovel. I did not see what happened next but after the first few cuts of the spade he suddenly started screaming and ran off. Cid and Rimvaul were next to follow. Shortly after approaching the stream and touching the water, they bolted. I tried to tackle Cid in order to stop him from running but missed him by a few meters. We eventually caught up to them and the spell began to fade. Something in that river seemed to impose a fear spell. Before we got the chance to decide on how to proceed, Rimvaul and Oxton ran back to the creek. Oxton seemed affected again as he turned on his heels but this time I was prepared. I swung my shovel and hit him right on the forehead dropping him to the ground. Rimvaul however unleashed the fury of an old hag upon the stream whilst screaming out the name of her beloved god Gromman. A stream of water suddenly rose and formed into a humanoid shape. Apparently we had awoken a water spirit. He begged us to leave him alone and so we did. We continued our journey the next day. Everyone, including myself seemed mostly lost in their own thoughts as we kept marching. With the exception of Rimvaul, who seemingly had taken an interest in Cid. Suffice to say Cid did not reciprocate her approaches. The group startled up as the treeline before us suddenly creaked and burst. A small figure appeared running toward us: a regular-sized goblin, gasping, sweating and weirdly enough, carrying a hedgehog followed by a giant owl which finally broke through the trees. As the owl descended, the goblin passed by Cid and Rimvaul, jumped onto Sable, lifted the helmet of the armour and crawled inside. The blink of an eye later the owl landed on Sable knocking him prone and continuously picking at the metal in hopes of reaching its prey. Panic spread as Sable’s moans of agony grew louder drowned out only by Khionk’s insults and curses. Cid and Oxton somehow knew how to communicate with the animal, which led to a very bizzare scene as two adult humans started chirping to the bird. They eventually traded a pile of left-over deer-steak for the goblins life and the owl took off. The goblin introduced himself as Tallag and explained that he had saved his best friend Mr. Stachelich from the murder-hobo owl. The hedgehog however didn’t like Tallag one bit so Nabi convinced the goblin to let him go in return for saving his life. We then followed Tallag to his village next to some ruins of dwarfen origin. Rimvaul, delighted to have found potential acolytes of Gromman, immediately bonded with the tribe and started a brawl. Tallag led us deeper into the last dwarfen building standing which appeared to have been some kind of brewery once upon a time. The majority of the building had yielded to time and harsh weather and seemed submerged in the boggy ground of the area. Only the massive architecture and a few casks filled with beer and wine were left to tell the tale. I asked Sable to explore further parts of the building. We attached a rope to his torso and sent him on his way. Hours passed before he finally returned with a rough outline of the building. Since the sun was about to set, we decided to call it a day. We would spend the night inside the cellar guarded by Sable’s massive body blocking the entrance from goblins and other intruders. The following day we reorganized our belongings, taking only what we could easily carry on our bodies while diving further into the ruins. We discovered three separate areas, one room filled with bones and weapons thrust into the stone floor, the other containing three rooms connected by a straight corridor. The first two rooms were empty, while the last one was filled with blank golden coin.

Goblin-Balls of Steel.
14th of Tarsakh, 1496 DR

My gaze wandered over the grassy landscape where we had found the elven ruins a few hours ago. They were gone now and a vast forest covered the area around us. And there was something else. The roar of a deer; the chirp of a bird – wildlife had suddenly reappeared on Inquest. Everyone turned to Nabi. "I have severed the thread that had led to the coronation of Godard". For a while we stood there wondering what else had changed until we decided to go back to Iverbent to witness it ourselves. Perhaps we had changed Tragnor’s fate as well and there was no longer need to follow him eastward. I sincerely welcomed the idea of a hot bath and the opportunity to clean my dust-covered garments. We would have even made it back to town before sundown if Oxton hadn’t asked us to stay so he could collect more herbs to resurrect his familiar. In return he promised to make dinner and from what I was able to tell, the others liked his stew. I wouldn’t tell anyone but I’d do almost anything to be able to savour food again. We assigned guard for the night and I went to sleep. I had agreed to take second watch but Nabi woke me up early. She had heard voices near our campsite and wanted to investigate their origin. She returned after a short while, two figures in tow. One of them had similarities to a goblinoid, she however was much taller and her limbs seemed somehow out of proportion. The other figure was even bigger and wearing heavy plate armour. They introduced themselves as Khionk and Sable and apparently they were engaged and having a rather big argument about it. As it turned out, Sable had signed up to join the imperial army of Iverbent and got transformed into an undead in the process. He wasn’t wearing the armour, his soul was bound to it and Khionk was pretty pissed about it. While sceptical at first, they decided to stay for dinner and they informed us about what had been happening in Iverbent. Apparently the city had been ruled by a King named Leofrick until he got removed from office the moment they threw him out of his tower, literally. His successor Ryland was leading Iverbent’s undead forces against an enemy army that had approached from the south and was currently laying siege to the city. Interestingly enough this force of humans in turn was led by a Lich named Godard. With this in mind we decided to depart east once again in hopes of finding what Tragnor had originally been looking for. Maybe it could help us defuse the situation or even end the war. In truth, neither of us actually knew what exactly had to be done next but Khionk, Sable and Rimvault decided to tag along for now.

Pride is seldom delicate, it will please itself with very mean advantages.
13th of Tarsakh, 1496 DR

[Quote by Samual Johnson, The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia, 1795] So we continued exploring the depths of the crypt were last time we had defeated the aberration that was the Gibbering Mouther. Cid was still suffering the lasting effects of the poisoning from the zombie bite but wanted to push forward nonetheless and so did Varis, despite also being badly injured. Note to self - if you were forced to dispose of Cid, don't use poison, he might have raised resistances. Anyways, we entered another room. The floor was covered in dust and mostly empty apart from a chandelier that must have fallen from the ceiling a long time ago. The party continued searching for clues and eventually discovered a pair of fresh-looking footprints on the dusty floor. They led us to another door or at least the remains of a door-like structure and behind we could hear an unusual sound similar to the rings of wind chimes. We halted for a moment discussing the further approach. With two members of the party injured we did not necessarily want to walk into another confrontation and it seemed that we hadn't been discovered yet. Varis however grew inpatient and started knocking at the door. Facing us stood a giant dragon looking figure in heavy plate armour. Beneath the armour, shimmering metal-like spikes forming a chain mail. He was holding a giant sword in one hand and a serrated short sword in the other. And he didn't look amused by our intrusion. On second look he stood surrounded by shredded corpses. Varis started mumbling something about Dragonborn and half-dragons then him and Nabi started talking to the creature in a foreign language I did not understand. The entire group grew noticeably uneasy and the moment the hulking beast started charging at the doorway I fired my crossbow. The shot did miss, bouncing off his plate mail. Parts of the group rushed back into the corridor we had come from. Oxton was the first to disappear into the darkness. Cid stood by my side and casted an invigorating spell at me. Varis launched a fiery projectile hitting the monster right in the gruesome visage. I was certain his shot had hit the half-dragon, yet he continued charging and eventually smashing down the remains of the door, seemingly unimpressed by the attack. In between screams of panic almost everyone had decided on their own that it was probably the safest option to run away from this fight. The corridor grew quite cramped as people kept squeezing themselves inside. To everyones surprise however, Nabi seemed to have a different plan as she challenged the creature to a match of Dragonchess. I was observing the whole scene through my mirror, still hiding inside the corridor. They sat down in the dirt, Nabi calmly unpacking her game pieces. I was not able to understand what was spoken. Still, judging from the half-dragons' facial expressions and the unpleasant roaring he seemed agitated at best. Behind me I could hear Oxton, Cid and Varis plotting a strategy to get Nabi out of there safely. We were certain she would be in trouble regardless of the games' outcome. Oxton summoned his unicorn rabbit and sent it back into the room with the intention to blind the half-dragon. The dragon simply squashed him with a single sweep of his claws. Back to plotting we went. I sat down in the corridor, my back leaning on the wall. I closed my eyes. "Calm down Serendipity. Breathe in. Breathe out. Now, think. As soon as the match is over the dragon is most likely going to attack us again. It probably won't matter if Nabi wins or loses. If, and that's a big if, the game even lasts that long. The question is, why did he stop his attack just to play a game? Unless it's simply because he wants to show off. Dragonchess is said to be rather complex after all. So he prides himself with tactical knowledge and skill?" I remembered about the other undead monstrosity still stuck in its chamber. A warrior, especially a proud one would certainly not deny if he were to be challenged to fight the ogre. For it would bring honor, glory and all kinds of pettiness. I informed Nabi of my plan and moments later the two got up and walked past us, back to where we had come from. He had taken the bait! What followed was sparking pure joy inside me. The half-dragon was just about to grunt at Nabi again when a giant decomposed hand reached through the doorway, grabbing the armoured dragon and pulling him into the room. The dragon roared in anger and thrusted his sword into the brute’s head. They exchanged bites and slashes for a while until the ogre came out on top, sucking the life out of the dead warriors' body. While the proud dragon might have been strong, armed and experienced, he had not spent enough time to sharpen its' wits and ultimately did succumb to his own flaws. Pathetic, really. I shall take a sample of his blood and write about his inglorious demise in Lady Lucks' Diary, as soon as we're done with that ogre! Fortunately, no one seemed to take notice of my satisfaction, mainly because all eyes were watching Oxton mourning his familiar. We then went on to explore another area were strange alcoves filled with partially decomposed parchment had been chiselled into the wall. My companions decided to take a closer look and Oxton managed to copy some of the remaining runes onto a fresh piece of parchment. The moment he drew the final line, the scroll suddenly retracted. When he tried to open it again, a ball of fire emerged from the paper. Only at the last second was he able to hurl it into a corner of the room where none of us would be harmed by the impact. He then proceeded through another door and disappeared. After inspecting the frame, we came to the conclusion that it served as some kind of teleport. Apparently Varis had encountered a similar mechanism in the past and told us that he suspected Oxton to have been transported back to the entrance of the crypt, at least in the best-case scenario. For all we knew he could have reappeared anywhere. This particular human seems to be rather ingenuous. The five of us then discovered a corridor. Half way through it a skeleton lay on the floor. It was wearing heavy plate armour and missing its head. Varis ripped the armour off the bones and found a necklace with two black gems worked into it. I recognized them immediately as the same kind of craftsmanship we had seen in the temple of Gromman. Surely Rimvault would want to see this. We eventually reached another chamber. It was much larger than any of the previous ones. Three giant cages reaching from the floor to the ceiling stood in the middle of the hall. The moment I tried to peek into the room with my handcrafted mirror, four stone-like tendrils dashed around the corner and grasped its frame. I startled back in shock and let go of it. Then the tendrils withdrew back into the room and for a moment silence fell upon the corridor as everyone seemed to be holding their breaths simultaneously. A few moments passed. We then cautiously entered the room, our backs pressed against the wall and we got a good look at the creature that had snatched my mirror. A huge stalagmite approximately three meters tall stood next to the entrance facing the wall, its tendrils still grasping my mirror. The one eyed creature was focusing on the image of its reflection and, almost as if charmed by its own gaze, it did not take notice of us entering its lair. Silently without leaving the creature out of our sight we ventured deeper into the chamber. There were a few doors leading out of the room: one to the east, one to the west and one to the north. Before we had a chance to investigate any of them, a slug like creature suddenly fell from the ceiling right in between where Cid and Varis were standing. In fear of more slugs coming down we silently butchered it as fast as we could and then again turned to the stalagmite. I was determined to get my mirror back and surprisingly at least Cid seemed to be motivated to help me in my endeavour. He started rummaging around in his backpack and fished out a shard of glass. It was of the same material he had used to make the mirror. He then tried to distract the thing by sliding the shard over but it got stuck on a tile half way. This the stalagmite noticed and it turned towards Cid. All four tendrils dashed at him and wrapped around his body pulling Cid near. I conjured a spectral hand and let it pick up the shard from the floor. On my command the hand then started to waggle the shard in front of the creature’s one eye diverting its attention away from Cid and my mirror which it dropped. The hand then floated toward the most distant corner of the room and the stalagmite followed. It wrapped its tendril around the shard and just kept on looking at its self once more ignoring everything around it. Cid picked up the mirror and handed it back to me. I think I’m starting to like this old geezer. I don’t understand why anyone would behave in a way this altruistic but it’s kind of… nice I guess. Anyhow, Nabi had apparently found Oxton while glimpsing through those doors. Varis was no where to be seen so I assumed he had just walked off. We might get to loot his body after all if he is not careful. We then went to inspect the last door to the east of the room. It was barred with heavy iron but Cid was eventually able to crack it open. Inside we found a vast amount of white-silvery coin and another icosahedron floating over a small pillar. None of us were eager to touch it after we remembered what had happened to Mitchell last time so I decided to circle around the pillar in hopes of finding a hidden mechanism to disable the glowing artefact. Nabi, again, seemed to have had a different idea. She just sat down in front of it, closed her eyes and started meditating, or at least that’s what I think she did. We stood there for a while watching her as suddenly I felt a tickling sensation running down my spine. Something was happening to reality itself, again. The icosahedron stopped glowing and in the blink of an eye all of us were somehow transported outside the dungeon. We found ourselves standing in the same place we had left behind Rimvault and she was looking at us curiously. Nabi went up to her and stretched out her hand holding a small stone about five by three centimeters in size. Rimvault’s eyes grew in surprise and she explained that this kind of artefact was called an Apologus and it supposedly bears unimaginable power. [OOC: I was listening to The Wolven Storm (Priscilla's Song) from the Witcher 3 covered by Alina Gingertail while writing this journal entry. It seemed fitting for a song a bard would sing at the half-dragons funeral while his kin stood over an empty grave mourning his disapearance.]

The orc shaman and the dungeon of the ugly red blob.
13th of Tarsakh, 1496 DR

Finally everyone felt prepared enough to start our journey to the Ruins of Dumnen. Except Galidan, who had disappeared over night. A pity really, I think he would have proven rather useful. Instead another questionable individual decided to tag along. I might have mentioned him before, his name is Mitchell and unsurprisingly enough he got along rather well with Oxton. Oh and that half-breed orc Nabi also joined our little group. After a few hours we came across another orc, an old confused lady dancing around an extinguished fireplace. She introduced herself as Rimvaul, first of Gromman, the Martyred. Rimvaul claimed to be looking for a shrine to pray to her god. She told us that she had been exiled from her clan and she appeared to be just as foreign to this land as we were. Rimvaul sent us to another place of old ruins. An unpleasant aura vibrated from those buildings. Of course we had to investigate it. While Nabi, Varis, Cid and I delved into the crypt, Mitchell and Oxton stayed behind. I got the feeling that Mitchell was afraid of the dark and Oxton didn't want to leave him alone. So be it! We were wandering around for a while when we suddenly discovered a very ugly red blob with dozens of mouths and thousands of teeth. We managed to stay hidden from the vile creature and I decided to contact Oxton because I felt that we were in need of reinforcements for the upcoming fight since there was no other path to proceed through the ruins . I suspected he would only be motivated to join us under very special circumstances so I created one, just for him. I told him that we were about to meet a monster that apparently had eaten a men (or woman, I don't differentiate) who had been wearing the symbol of his god. Of course he came running and instantaneously tried to befriend the creature with a spell, however the communication proved to be of questionable success at best. Meanwhile the rest of the group tried to find another exit, to no avail. Ultimately the spell broke and the blob attacked us. From the northern part of the room, behind the blob, a zombified brute tried to enter but he was too big and got stuck in the door. Three zombies in that very same room were also trying to join the fight but two were crushed in the attempt to enter by the giant monster. One half of a zombie eventually made it through. Anyways, I started blasting, Varis attacked him with acid while Nabi started kicking him. Cid blessed us with his holy magic and we did a good amount of damage to the creature. The blob then launched a slimy projectile at Cid and me who were standing in the south-east corner of the room. I was able to dodge it but Cid got blinded. The zombie took advantage and started stabbing him. Luckily, Cid evaded his attacks. Eventually we brought down the creature but before we could kill the blob, he nearly ripped Varis' arm off. The group tended to his wounds and we rested for a while. I wonder if there is any valuable stuff in here.

Murder in the bathhouse!
12th of Tarsakh, 1496 DR

I felt the urge to go back to investigate the ruins of the soon to be new graveyard of Iverbent. Something was calling me. Cid was easily enough persuaded to accompany me on my endeavour. But first we should pay the captain of the guard another visit. Maybe we could get him to hand out some more funding. This was a terrible idea. The old tinkerer hasn't the slightest clue of how to relieve somebody of their coin. It shouldn't surprise anyone that he seems to be the only craftsman in this devil forsaken town who does not own his own workshop. He almost made Eshta Pjor send an entire regiment to the crypt instead. What in the nine hells have I done to deserve to be surrounded by the incompetent? Eventually we would go back to the crypt. Of course Yorawala, or rather, Yalipsis was still there studying the portal. A shiver ran down my spine at the mere sight of this devilish device. Suddenly sparks emerged from the damn thing and three individuals came flying through. A certain nutjob going by the name Oxton, a presumptuous elf called Varis and a rather dashing looking fellow who introduced himself as Galidan. We wasted some time arguing about the why’s and when’s and when they finally accepted that it would be best if we'd leave east for the Ruins of Dumnen, they followed me back to town to prepare for the journey. Girl, was I wrong. Imagine 3 grown men walking through town asking every metalworker they meet to get their swords anointed. Honestly, I had rather been forced to accompany Redemption on her quest to find the pinkest pair of boots. On top of it all, the little weird human suddenly started chanting some ritual in the middle of a workshop. I was this close to going back to Kyten Tummulus and voluntarily step through the portal, again. Anyways, after also paying Venharice a visit, who wouldn't anoint their steel either, Varis had a brilliant idea (for once) and so we went to the bathhouse. I, of course booked private quarters and just as I was finally preparing to relax in the tub, Galidan started breaking down the door of the room next to mine. I mean, I had heard some weird noises coming out of that room but who am I to question how someone else voices their relaxation? Hence I left my room to see what was going on. I went right back into my quarters to grab a towel because the dashing paladin had obviously forgotten to cover himself up. I've seen worse though... anyways, he broke down the door and we found a blood soaked body lying in the tub, a dagger (Deathanchor) stuck in his chest. Surely I would have loved to examine this convenient tool, alas Varis picked it up first and stored it away. Greedy little elves! We decided to question the other guy who appeared to be his murderer but he wouldn't talk. Galidan broke his arm and cast mending, then broke it again. Not very efficient if you ask me but I didn't want to embarrass him, he was surely only trying to get my attention. Since the interrogation was a fruitless toil, I searched the body of the dead man and found a few soaked papers of correspondence between the victim and someone else. Apparently he was to be trading information and geographical data about Inquest, specifically unexplored regions to the west and east of Iverbent for a hefty sum of gold and a title of nobility. Call me intrigued, this city might not be so dull after all. I suggested to tie the bastard up and deliver him to the city watch, maybe there was a reward to be claimed for his head. The two men agreed and did as I asked. Before we left the private wing, the bathhouse desk clerk came up to us, asking if we had any further use for the dead body, otherwise she would have liked to dispose of him. Since we did not, we let her proceed and she opened a hatch in the floor, stuffing the body inside. I took a mental note, I shall have a similar mechanism installed at my manor. We then proceeded to collect the weirdo from the public wing who had been entertaining the mob with his rabbit unicorn and sent a messenger to fetch Cid from the Tavern. Then we left for the guards house. Surprisingly enough there was indeed a bounty of 35 gold to be collected by us. It appeared that his former employer, going by the name of Thyvir wanted to make sure his failed assassin kept quiet. Admirable, really. At least the criminal populous around here seems to be using their brains. I felt generous tonight so I gave my fair share to Cid, who had been quite useful so far. Can't hurt to keep a native around.

How to become a Paradox.
11th of Tarsakh, 1496 DR

to be filled with words

Serendipity Laughingbluff