Sam Talbot

Comes from a land of halflings in the Thregan Empire called The Grove Is on a pilgrimage for his Deity Chantea.

Halfling cleric from The Grove who is on a mission while looking for companions.

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Official Title:

Sam Talbot the Eager Master of mimics, Bringer of floods, Keeper of Pace

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In the Dead of Night

After the battle, we needed to rest. We searched around after licking our wounds and quickly found where the cultists had been waiting: tiny person-sized holes in the ground carved out by blood. As a snowstorm was on the way, we decided to avoid spending the night in the blood bowls and tried to quickly build a shelter out of snow, nets, and ice. As we fled into our dome, the ice storm hit. We couldn't see even a foot in front of our faces, making further travel impossible. While inside, we tried to calm ourselves down a bit. Noelani burned some incense, and it wasn't long before Aerilyn brought out the wizard weed. In my experience, mixing two potent smells can only lead to disaster, and it was beautiful. Borris seemed to be hit hard, but I think he took some of K's fairy stool mushrooms. It was a nice night. It almost felt like we were still in the tavern back in Sgand. I was able to talk with Kahla about the battle and made sure to thank him for his quick thinking. Everyone did their part, but his thinking spared us from having to fight the rest of the battle. Also, it's starting to occur to me that I don't really know my associates... friends? Yes, I think friends. I don't know much about a lot of them except for Borris, Noelani, and Aerilyn. I'm still not even sure why we are all still together. Kahla and Cordelia literally lost their home helping us, meanwhile, I know literally nothing about Urthan and very little about K. Where did these folks come from? What are they fighting for? Maybe I should take notes as Kahla does. Maybe I can learn more that way if no one feels like sharing. I'm still worried that the cultists found us so quickly. How did they know where we were coming from? Or even that we were coming at all? Also, these cultists were living, and from a note found on a body, they don't even know themselves. What if they are innocent? Pawns that are being mind-controlled by this ice devil? I felt uneasy about killing so many of them, but Kahla helped reassure me that our cause is just. Regardless of who or what gets in our way, we need to stop what is about to happen. We can't dwell on who we need to kill to stop it as long as we succeed. There will be time for that later... I hope.

The Battle in the Valley

We were ambushed. I have no idea how they knew we were coming, or where from, but they jumped us. Dozens of cultists (alive this time) charged our party, surrounding each of the small groups we had formed. Aerilyn, K, Cordelia, and Noelani ended up trapped ahead of me, while Borris, Urthan and I were quickly surrounded. It was hard keeping track of Kahla, as he was being stealthy. Knowing what I know now, he was up on the cliff just west of us and was later joined by Noelani. I tried to run ahead to help the others, but once Borris was surrounded and Urthan was struggling to help him, I had to go back to make sure they were alright. It was all a blur. I saw flashes of magic brighten up the darkening sky, cultists screaming, and the iron smell of blood filled the air. Borris and Urthan took a beating and were left barely standing by the time we managed to cut our way out. The moment we broke free, I heard a massive explosion above us. All I saw was heaving earth, then dirt filled the air. Once it had cleared, we slowly regrouped, licking our wounds. Kahla had managed to find a weak point in the rocks of the valley, leading to a cascading earthquake that had destroyed the remaining cultists. If he hadn't done this, I fear we would have been overwhelmed. I never imagined there were so many cultists. There were around forty of them in all, give or take. If we keep heading north, I'm nervous that these battles will only get bigger and in turn more dangerous. We also found out after the battle that these cultists were alive, and even worse, they seemed to be brainwashed or charmed. And even more horrifying... I'm not sure it matters to me anymore. They were trying to stop us on our mission to save the entire world! We had to kill them, or else we would have fallen ourselves. Chauntea protect us, we had no choice... right? Right?

The Cave

There isn't much to write this time, but I want to keep track of things and make a special note of what just happened. No matter what, I will always be glad to have these people on my side. The behemoth we fought... It was too much. Felt like too much at least. I wasn't sure if we were even going to fight it at first once we disturbed its home. Aerilyn certainly had the same thought of me and got distance as fast as possible, but the thing was just too fast! It was so big I think it dwarfed any of the trees in the plum orchards back home. It was all anyone could do to hold the line. Cordelia and K tried to coax the beast onto the lake while Urthan distracted it to buy them time. Suddenly out of nowhere, Borris hit the creature with his ax, summoning a meteor through the artillery stone embedded within. The creature broke through the ice and quickly got stunned by K, who was tied by a rope to Borris for some reason. The rest was history. There was nothing to loot, but we managed to rest up a bit before moving on. Now that we've dealt with that gargantuan behemoth, I've got a lot more confidence. Maybe we have a really good chance to defeat this ice lord after all! I hope my folks and Amber are OK. I need to write them soon once I get a chance.

Into the Frozen Wilds

We had to leave part of the group behind. There is so little time until ************ ******Page is ripped out****** returns. And I forgot I can't write their name. Well done me. I performed my first funeral today. I wish we could have buried Razis, but the snow was too deep. I pray Chauntea forgives me for resorting to fire, but there was no other way. I'm not sure how to feel. Razis was a goblin, possibly a descendant of those who attacked my people less than a century ago. He just seemed so... ordinary? Well, as ordinary as a genius-level intellect goblin with a mastery over the arcane can be, but still. He helped us and even taught us how to create glyphs. The flying tavern was even his idea! I just tried to do my best, and I hope it was enough. There isn't enough time to protect the group we've gathered and stop the arrival of the ice lord. We had to choose and seeing as one option would result in the death of the world, our hands were forced. We made them a shelter and left them with provisions. They aren't safe, but they're as safe as they can be given our situation in this desolate place. The cultists wander the woods. Signs of their wretched and unnatural magic surround us as we travel, sigils and pools of frozen blood crimson standing out from the gleaming white of the snow. We had barely started when we were ambushed from a cliff in our way. They caught us off guard and hit me first, but thanks to everyone working together, we managed to handle them. Now we stand outside this cave. Noelani's raven is missing, and from what I understand, an Ice dragon from another plane is inside. Albrathanilar. We were told about this dragon briefly by Eras. The only thing I gleaned from what he said was that she is an enemy of the ice lord. Perhaps if we have time to speak with her before she decides to destroy us, maybe we can convince her to join us in the battle. I only hope that if we win that she will be willing to go back to her plane of existence....

Freefall

The tavern is gone. It's been smashed to pieces. I still don't know how things went so wrong... maybe writing it down will help? As we were flying to where the lord of ice was to make his attack on the world, I asked Zudd if he could fix my scythe. Bless Borris's heart for trying to fix it the first time, but I need to have that weapon spotless when I bring it back to my dad. They may be alright with me going on my pilgrimage, but I don't want to push my luck. As we were each attending to our preparations, Eras came forward after mentioning the "boon" we stole from Lolth. He said he had a way to spread the awareness of the Drow armies to the whole world, potentially saving millions of people and giving the world a fighting chance. Naturally, we all agreed. During the process, I saw... I saw Amber. She kept saying I was being lied to, that this wizard was tricking us. I almost gave in, but just as I was about to turn away, the voice sounded warped. Almost strained. Realizing it wasn't Amber, my portion of the "boon" was taken from my body and placed into the spell. One by one we all had the boon removed until Eras had to make the final spell attempt. As he was about to utter an incantation, dust fell from the ceiling. I tried to brace the ceiling with my ancestral scythe but to no avail. All I remember next is darkness and a sense of falling. I later found out from Noelani that we had all passed out except for her and Haefen, her Raven. She saw the Keepers of time snatch Eras, leaving the spell behind unfinished. We fell out of the sky, only saved at the last minute because of some quick thinking from a divinely blessed super-sized raven and Noelani. I just remember waking up to the glow of the smashed furnace, and the pain of getting run over by a goblin's stone slab. We were able to save Zudd, Idris, while Kahla managed to find Viravel just before he froze to death. Zudd was in a bad way, impaled by some timber. I managed to heal what I could, and luckily due to the fire flower K gave him, the wound had cauterized itself. We recovered Eras's spell as well, but when i reached out to it, I felt sick. it reached back to me as if it was alive. It's stored away now. We had barely processed this and gathered what we could when K and Kahla, our scouts for danger, found another band of cultists with a horrific golem and monster in tow. The fight was brief, but brutal. Cordelia summoned some demons to eat the Golem alive, while Aerilyn wreaked havoc with confusion and control magic. Borris, Kahla, and Cordelia held the line while Noelani and I slung spells once we were able to climb the hill and get into the fight. It was close. Kahla and Cordelia were knocked unconscious and I had to revive them before they could be cut down. We won, and now everything is quiet except for the wind blowing the snow around our tent and quickly made shelter. I don't know how we're going to keep going from here, especially with people who have no winter gear. I just have to trust in the path laid out before us, and everything will be alright. I hope.

Crimson Chaos

I'm... I think I'm gonna be sick. I had to heal wounds before, but draining someone of all their blood... I have to say, not an experience I want to repeat. Borris had a creature inside him, moving underneath his skin. I'm not sure what it is, but we managed to capture it after I had to cut it out of Borris. As if this wasn't enough, we realized that there was some black ichor mixed in his blood that seemed to be somehow connected to this creature. Instead of waiting to see what would happen if the ichor remained in his body, Borris chose to drain himself of the blood in his body, as his body was only a sack of blood. Yuck. While preparing, K gave Borris some mushrooms that he, for lack of a better term, tripped out. He experienced a vision of some sort involving the evil Eras that is attacking our world, but how he was brought to life was a complete mystery... Other than the fact that the mercury water was responsible. We also checked our resident goblin's blood, and he had the black ichor as well. If there is any way that Eras is involved in this, we need to get word to Magecrest immediately. My instincts were right; the goblins cannot be trusted and need to be stopped before something horrible happens. After Borris removed all of his blood (a horrifying process I had to watch in order to stand by for any needed healing), he was restored to having a waxy interior by another of K's plants called Dragonspine. It did the trick, and now Borris is back to normal.(?) I also had another dream of Amber seeing a ship arriving on the horizon, as well as communication with the Moradin fighters I sent to help her. They need funds and guidance on what captain they need to charter. I have no clue about any of the people they asked about, but I sent a message to my folks to ask if they recognized any of them. Fingers crossed. I'm not sure what our plan is, but whatever we come up with, we have one week before the Ice Lord makes his move. We really need a plan, and perhaps Eras is the key.

The Alchemist of Time

So much has happened. So much has... changed? Or are they the same? I'm not sure where to begin. We explored the house finding a study full of books, a practice room for fighting, and a plant room with an assortment of vegetation. Each room was gigantic, probably expanded magically well past the actual size of the tower. While we were looking through this room, Urthan came upstairs, teleporting through a fireplace (the way to move between floors), and said that the wizard had come back and was on death's door from the cold. We all rushed downstairs to find Noelani, Urthan, and Kahla surrounding an older man on the floor, wrapped in a tunic or cloth of some sort. Once we revived him and warmed him up, he was immediately interested in Borris. He kept asking him questions, asking how he could write, what he had learned, etc. It turns out that Borris isn't the only Borris. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around this, but somehow our timeline isn't the only timeline either. This wizard, Eras, has been through multiple timelines, all of them failing and falling into chaos and destruction from the cold that has started to touch our world. Borris has died each time, except for this timeline. Also, he bleeds, which Eras noted as strange. The wizard asked us what had been happening, the differences being absolute from the last timeline. He realized that another version of himself was roaming this timeline, causing chaos and creating the goblins. He showed us his own version of the Mercury Water, confirming that the connection was there. He informed us that this timeline was his last time jump, as he felt like he was only causing more trouble. He also told us about someone who is an enemy of the Prince of Ice, Albrathanilar. She is a dragon who entrusted Eras with an egg of her child, and has always fought against the Prince of Ice in every timeline- and had always lost. She could be an ally, but we don't know how to get in contact with her, or she could be even worse than the Prince if unleashed. We decided to send K out to get the tavern, and when she came back she said that there were some mechanical beings on their way toward the tower. Eras seemed afraid and rushed to leave with us. Whatever they are, if they make a powerful wizard afraid, I don't want to be nearby. My head is spinning. Is there another me in each timeline? Eras said he hadn't heard of us before, so did I never leave my parents in the other timelines? I need some time to think...

Assault on the Wizard's Tower

We decided to leave the town, heading towards the wizard's tower that had animated Borris to life. As we left, I couldn't help but feel a little lost. I know why we're here. I know we need to stop... I can't write the thing's name or else my journal will freeze. But even so, how do we get there? Who do we talk to? How do we even stop it? I'm hopi9ng the wizard will have some explanations if he still lives. Reaching the tower was easy, but from the air it seemed to be guarded by robed figures, and there appeared to be blood on the ground. Aerilyn decided to play a song of some sort to intimidate them, and while I wasn't sure how effective it was (at least until later), it had an amazing beat! We decided to land after changing direction but were discovered anyway as we walked toward the tower. We fought a group in hooded robes, who ended up being able to manipulate blood somehow. They looked like monks or something, but we couldn't see their faces. After some effort, we managed to take them out. After incapacitating one, I discovered that it was undead. We dispatched it shortly after, Kahla carving that... thing's name into its arm, freezing it solid. For some reason, I keep being prevented from killing the undead. I'm sure it's just a coincidence, but it's starting to frustrate me. It's one of my purposes in life to destroy the unholy, along with sustaining life. It's my duty as a cleric of Chauntea. After dealing with that group, we continued to the tower. The group of fighters we had seen before were staring at the sky, no doubt distracted by Aerilyn's song from before. We debated on what to do but eventually settled for my suggestion to disperse the group using my ability to turn the undead. After scattering them, we ran into a puzzle at the front door. A scale, encased in glass, stuck out of the wall. A small model of the tower sat on one side, and a pile of rocks on the other. A small message was written to the side, mentioning that tipping the scales would reveal the key (I think?). We spent... more time than I care to admit on this puzzle. I think its flavored my viewpoint on wizards very negatively, and I do not wish to go into everything we tried to get it to work. Eventually, through wild magic, Cordelia managed to teleport inside and let us in. I'm not sure what awaits us in there, but I hope it's worth all of this trouble.

Ghosts of the Past

After destroying the tavern, we moved on to the church after resting for a while back in Kahla's tavern. Inside, Noelani could hear a creature speaking in a strange language, talking about protecting a sigil. As we slowly crept in, Kahla and Cordelia went around the backside of the church in order to see if they could find a way in. Aerilyn began to investigate the tower as the rest of snuck between the pews, trying to stay low. The church was decimated, with rubble all over the floor. As Urthan rounded a corner, he stumbled across the abomination. It was a large undead being, floating, a great big eye in the middle of a skull. Urthan barely had a chance before almost turning into dust from the creature's first attack. I barely saved him with some healing magic, and the battle became a blur. I took cover in a corner and every time I re-entered the fray it felt like someone else was dying. It was almost like watching the fight in quick pictures: Kahla and Cordelia jumping through a window, K and Urthan almost fading into dust, Borris looking worse and worse... Finally, Kahla launched himself into the air and began to pull on the massive eye, eventually tearing it out through brute strength! This ended the battle, but the eye continued to struggle and cause damage. Kahla, Borris, and Urthan all jumped onto the eye, trying to keep it down while we investigated the sigil. It was made of cursed blood, we found out after some investigation. The center was made of innocent blood, making me believe that a child was sacrificed. We eventually realized that the sigil was a portal, but we couldn't figure out where it led to. Deciding it was too dangerous, I was allowed to pour holy water onto the glyphs, erasing the cursed blood. I was surprised when a burst of energy was released when the holy water was poured on the blood of the innocent. I will for sure make note of that in the future. After the battle, the group decided to keep the eye to pay off Borris's debt to the enchanter, who gladly cleared him of the labor once we turned in the dangerous orb. We decided to rest before moving on to the rest of the village. There wasn't much left, but we did discover an enchanters building that was destroyed, where Kahla walked in and almost got gassed to death. Borris rescued him, but it was a close call. We also found an alchemist's table and book. Next, we entered a general store where we found frozen bodies next to a copper ball. We think it was used to freeze them, which is chilling... Also, some clothes were found near a house in the snow, as well as a fresh flower. At this point, Borris dropped some news on us that none of us were expecting: He was once a true garden gnome. After being brought to life by a wizard after serving his family for some time, he lived with the wizard to learn about the world and to get used to his new life. The wizard's name was Eras Phophior. Eventually, Borris came back to the town to find it burned to the ground and decided to wander the world for his purpose. After explaining this to us, Borris explained that the wizard was gifted in using magic on flowers or even transmutating things into flowers. The flower could even be the wizard himself! After trying all sorts of spells on it, we eventually gave up and put it into the furnace, only for it to suddenly grow two flowers! I'm not sure what to think now that I've found out my best friend is really a gnome. I don't know whether it's sad or awesome; maybe both? I hope we find the wizard later so I can ask him why he did this.

Dead Snow

Success! After working almost nonstop the last four days, I managed to discover a new rune: Ilde. It can set fire to anything, provided I have time to draw out the symbol first. It's already come in handy a couple of times, and I'm eager to test the limits of this new rune! We also finally reached Borris's home. To our surprise, we found buildings covered in snow, despite what Borris said about his village burning down. It turns out that a new group moved into the ruins and built upon them, creating a quick and ramshackle town with log houses. As we flew over, we noticed that no smoke was coming from the chimneys, and there was no movement inside the town. We finally landed and marked our location as snow fell heavily upon us. The inn will probably be covered by the time we get back, so we will need to look carefully for our mark. We marched towards the town, trying to remain silent as we approached. There was no noise besides our feet crunching in the chest-deep snow. The gates were open, locked in place by the snow. Cordelia and Kahla scouted ahead, finding no sign of anyone. We slowly crept into the town, heading toward a tavern. After digging inside, we found a dead elf and a batch of notes. There was no sign of what had happened to him, nor any reason why the tavern was empty. As we tried to piece together clues, we began to hear hissing from behind the closet door. We drew our weapons and readied ourselves, and I stood beside the door with Borris. We opened the door to reveal a mass of oozes of some sort, all suddenly pouring out of their new avenue of escape. Before I could react, I was engulfed. The acid inside the ooze ate away at me, and it was all I could do to not scream. My armor and father's scythe began to get pockmarks from the acid, much to my horror. I let out a burst of hellfire (thanks to my magic ring) that burned it away before Borris grabbed me and pulled us out, acid hitting him the whole time. I need to make sure to thank him... After that, all hell broke loose. Cordelia summoned demons at one point, all of which ended up exploding once they were dispatched, causing massive damage to the oozes. We decided to retreat to get out of the tavern. If we stayed in this confined area, we would be toast! As we all retreated, I drew my new rune on the structure of the building and yelled out for everyone to get clear. Once I was sure we would all be ok (and after Kahla made an impressive faceplant into the snow), I muttered "Ilde." The whole structure lit up, burning the oozes inside. I... watched. It was very satisfying for some reason. Maybe vengeance for their initial assault on me and Borris? I don't really know, and I don't want to dwell on it. There are other buildings to search.

Experimentation

Since we have time while heading up north, we all started working on different projects. Have to find a way to pass the time right? Aerilyn's mom has been really helpful in making both armor and clothing for the group to get us geared up. I donated my dinosaur skin for the cause so Urthan could get armor. I don't know much about Urthan to be honest, but I know we need to be at our best moving forward if we're a team. Now that I think about it, I don't really know much about Cordelia and Kahla either. They seemed very eager to come with us and were agreeable when we suggested making their home a flying bar. Given how much they've already sacrificed to help us, I need to make an effort to figure out what their deal is. Kahla even went around asking to read our journals, which makes me feel strange. Cordelia even jumped overboard to talk to fish? I wasn't there during that incident, but from what I heard, she nearly died! They all seem so strange to me, but we need to work together if they are going to be a part of our group. Aerilyn went around insulting people a little bit ago as well. She didn't give any explanation at all. I'm not sure what her deal is. I was furious when she said I was beneath her... then she turned it into a short joke. What she said to K really affected her. No amount of healing magic can undo something like that. She better have a good reason for this. Borris is working on getting the artillery stone imbued into his axe, and I am so excited to see what happens when he uses it! As for me... I've been experimenting with rune magic. While it hasn't been done before, I know there's a way to imbue Chauntea's healing power through me and into an object. The hard part is creating the rune that can channel that energy. It's almost like a sequence of cause and effect, like a flowing pond. If one section gets clogged, it can't flow and becomes stagnant. It's the same with these runes. I need to figure out what sequence of runes or symbols will allow that magic to flow through it to allow me to heal without casting a traditional spell. If I figure this out, the possibilities are endless! I've already decided the first thing I will place the glyph on.... If I don't blow up first.

In the Eye of the Storm

In less than a day, we've taken flight in a flying boat (formerly a bar), fought a wind demon, talked down an assassin, met ghost pirates, and made our way through a flurry of water spouts. I don't know what's next, but I know I need to stay on my toes. The last time I wasn't paying attention, Kahla nearly died to the wind... whatever it was. Aerilyn almost fell out of the boat during her skirmish with Viravel Corzel, the drow assassin that has joined with us temporarily. And lastly, Noelani almost got pulled into a water spout while she guided us through the storm. If we're not careful, we won't be a match for what is coming for us up north. As far as the assassin goes, I surprisingly trust his word. He seems honorable for a drow, and has even offered to train us while we travel together. I still feel guilty for being so willing to fight him as soon as we saw him. That's not normally like me... I think? Receiving news that my parents were heading south made me so happy! Now the village and them will be safe for a time from the drow invasion in that region. As for Amber... I have to take solace that help is on the way as fast as it possibly can. I have to leave it in the Theocracy's capable hands and focus on the task in front of me. Chauntea give us speed and strength.

The Upper City

After our battle with the Barrel Bandits, we tried to clean up. Despite leaving some alive, there was no way to clean it all up. I tried to give Urthan some money for losing the bounty he was on, but he declined. I cleaned up using a bath potion, and we blocked off the alley with some barrels. Probably not the best job we could have done, but we needed to move on. Kahla chewed us out for our clear "bloodlust" and eagerness to shed blood so quickly. I mainly toned it out. It was clear by the sheer number of bandits that we were clearly in a situation where we needed to defend our lives. If he doesn't see it that way, there's nothing we can do about it. We eventually began shopping for gear to keep us warm up north, as any normal winter clothing would be practically useless. We tried to con our way in; to varying effects. Borris, Aerilyn, and Noelani were unable to get through the checkpoint, but eventually, we were all allowed to stick together, albeit with Noelani in chains. Aerilyn found out that her mother was in town at a clothing shop, and set out to meet with her after writing her a message. After we gathered the gear we needed, Borris traded in his weapons for some coin. After introducing the rest of us to the shopkeeper, Borris mentioned to the shopkeeper that the drow are coming. Upon hearing this news, the shopkeeper (an enchanting master) immediately began packing his things and preparing to sell his shop, asking to join us. While we can't afford any of his current wares, we decided to take him with us to add a mini workshop within the tent on the slab. I hope it pays off for us. With the new faces in our party, I'm worried that we're losing track of our mission. We might be pulled in different directions, or they may not want to go north. Either way, the more we get sidetracked, the longer it will take to get to Borris's village, the colder it will get, and most of all, the longer it will take to save my parents and my sister. Time is of the essence, and as we eventually learned through our "gift", the drow armies are not waiting around for us. They have moved heavily on Sgand, and they are close to the Grove. I need to write a letter to the folks. They need to get out of there, now.

Wrecking Ball

I'm not sure what to say, so I'm going to be brief this time. While most of us went shopping, I decided to try to learn a bit about our hosts. Time will tell if I learned anything useful though, it was a tangle of leads and dead ends into investigations. We thought about sparring to pass the time, but thought better of it and tagged along with the rest of the party to go shop and search for supplies. Borris and K were stunned by some Gloomflowers, whcih I'd like to point are highly hostile. Borris dispatched them with prejudice. While we were shopping and selling at a potion seller in the slums, we met a half-orc named Urthan who was looking for a bounty that was worth 30 gold. After some time shopping, we actually managed to spot Urthan's target and followed him into an alley. Instead of trapping him, we were ambushed; the whole enclosure was filled with the sounds of battle and spells. Despite their numbers, the bandits didn't stand a chance against our newly strengthened group... Although, I'm worried I went a bit overkill with my Spirit Guardians. Next time I use that spell, I'll need to tone it down. That one really took it out of me. I'd be more shocked at how they fell into pieces around me, but then again, we were in a battle a few days ago. I think I'm getting a little too used to killing I think. If I force myself not to feel, it's like I can't hear their voices anymore. Or see their faces. Oh, gods... What is happening to me?

New Faces

As we came through the portal, we were met by followers of Moradin, with one priest holding open the door for us as we finally made it through. I was weak, having used most of my energy opening the gate; Aerilyn and Noelani, who also opened the gate, needed healing too. The head mage of the group introduced himself as Grossuc Hillhand. I didn't recognize the name, but considering he was holding open the portal by himself, I think he was powerful. Two strangers who happened to be walking by at the time saw our entry into Gere, the capital of Sgand as we later found out. They introduced themselves Cordelia Delmar, a Sea Elf, and Kahla Hala, a Tabaxi. They seemed odd at first and were anxious about staying in the streets, but even so, they offered free rooms at their establishment named the Crooked Tavern. We definitely needed some rest, and since we had made up a lot of ground, a little rest certainly wasn't going to hurt us. We followed them back to their place, guarded by some Moradin Theocracy guards who stayed far back. I have a bad feeling about this town. Something about it just feels off, like I'm being constantly watched. I feel like everything I say is being evaluated for its worth. I take it back. I don't have a bad feeling. I hate this town already. Once in the tavern, we received ale and were forced into the back room. Also, Borris told me that Long Island Tea has alcohol in it. I still need to discuss it with Aerilyn. I don't think I can trust her as much anymore. Anyone who takes advantage of someone like that just for a joke is not someone I can trust with the big things. It's not a common belief among Chauntea followers, as few people in my faith swear it off their whole lives. But still, to have that choice taken from me... I am not happy. We spent the night in that tavern, and of course I had another dream, this time of Amber receiving my message and returning it. Im still worried for her, and I want to ask the group if it would be ok to send our new Moradin follower friends to help her and bring her supplies. However, something keeps sticking in my mind. A question, burning its way through me. Where are these dreams coming from? I always have assumed Chauntea was sending me my visions, but clearly, I'm not the only one receiving them. Why us? What makes us so special? I need to meditate on this. We woke up the next day, and while everything seemed normal, apparently one of the tavern's patrons had taken to using blood magic in their room. They painted a symbol on their own wall, and the elf who did it was missing. Surprisingly, Kahla and Cordelia brought us down to a secret room under the tavern to discuss this. They seem a little too trusting for this town from what I understand, but who am I to question them? We discovered that they were also trying to figure out who was kidnapping people, and we shared what we knew. We also learned more about a certain Mr. Faeyth, who apparently is Aerilyn's father? He apparently tried to have a rebellion in order to establish the land as human-controlled only and was defeated after sacking multiple villages in Sgand. I'm not sure what to think about this. I definitely need to pay more attention to what is going on with her regardless. I feel like I'm on a long road, with no end in sight. I fear that I won't see home, or my family, for a long time. There is so much to do, so much... Chauntea protect us.

Sweet Dreams

The day (or night) started off simple enough, with Aerilyn and Noelani shouting down from the slab to a group of dwarves preparing to fight some orcs. The dwarves looked likely to win, but orc reinforcements were on their way. After some quick debate, we decided to help them out. We prepared to join the fray and waited to step off of the platform; at least, some of us did. Borris, always ready for a fight, jumped down like one of the Magecrest artillery meteors. With a silence spell from me, he hit a troll on the ground so hard I thought that he had knocked it out with one hit. After making a fool of myself getting off the slab and amazing use of wild magic by Aerilyn, all of the orcs were down. Introducing themselves, the dwarves were Lunoc Jadefall, Baribun Largefeet, Figrurun Thunderjaw, Durin Pratir-Caveguard, Elotryd Barrelbraid, and Nerdegrett Orgrog. We found out that they were Moradin Theocracy troops sent after a noble that had escaped them in Sgand. It sounded very familiar, and sure enough, the noble turned out the be the human-turned-goblin we have been traveling with. When we called out to him, he put a knife to Risix's back, threatening us to let him go. Risix quickly turned the tables on him, spilling him onto the ground from the slab by turning it upside down. After a quick chase, we got him back, finding out that his real name was Orson Kaylock. After no progress, Aerilyn took Orson aside and charmed him. I didn't hear their conversation, but she filled us in on the details. In Sgand, every ship heading north was being hijacked and sent to the Glacis Wilds, including those being ferried directly. A cult of some sort is using them to gain a power of some sort. In order to avoid issues, there's a chance that the cult will ignore us if we have a seal of Sgand, but I have no xlue how to get one of those. I'm worried that this has something to do with Borris's village, and Borris agreed. After yet another escape attempt. Aerilyn happily knocked out Orson, and we all boarded the slab with the dwarves to get to a portal that had brought them to Orc Territory. To pass the time, we all decided to meditate with K, which somehow gave us all our next round of visions, except this time we could see all of the visions together. Somehow, we were all connected in a way. We experienced each vision one by one, most of them unsettling. A black knight with wings attacking Noelani in a flying castle (leaving cut marks on the whole group but me), Aerilyn's Balrog showing her the pact that had been made by her ancestor, K seeing a long path in front of her to restore balance to the world, and Borris seeing some sort of beast breaking through a door in the snow with nine toes. My vision... Was not what I wanted to see. Amber was humming a chant to Chauntea, taking shelter inside a strange shack. The dead were outside, trying to break in. She grabbed a purple candlestick and prepared to take a stand against the undead just as they broke through. She's in danger, and I'm on the other side of the world. I've never felt so useless. I was still trying to come to my senses when Noelani got a letter. Unfortunately, the letter was a trick, as a spell stabbed at her with a sword. All I could do was fix the damage as it all happened so fast. Something is wrong there. Who sent it to her? I also got letters from both my parents and Amber. My parents, bless them, already had forgiven me and even apologized to me for holding me back. Still, they were unwilling to leave, having already started calling to Chauntea to provide healthy crops in time for the winter, meaning that they would be abandoning their faith if they left. I think it's a mistake, but my folks seem hopeful that the Thregan Empire will reunite in wartime. I'm doubtful, but maybe I can try to convince them another way. Then, there was the letter from Amber. With her blood on it. I was almost catatonic for a second there, trying to read the message while trying not to think what the lood might mean. She asked for food, weapons to be sent to the Lost Lands (or the Shuiba Islands), and I finally found out why she was there. She is trying to end a "Chaos Curse" of some kind. As soon as I recovered, everyone was more than willing to turn around and get to here right away, which I was so grateful for. However, this cold that is coming down from the Glacis Wilds... I have a horrible feeling about it. I'm worried if left unchecked, the consequences could be disastrous. We decided to press on, however, I approached the Moradin paladins and clerics to see if they would be willing to bring supplies and food to my sister using one of their mages to teleport to her. I hope they are willing to go. Amber is counting on me, and I can't let her down. We made it to the portal, and in order to charge it up, Aerilyn, Noelani and I had to spend some magical energy to get it open. I almost passed out, but we managed to open it and enter with the Moradin group, arriving in the Capitol of Sgand. We are much closer to the Wilds, and as a bonus, we may need to pass by Aerilyn's hometown to check on her family. At least we might be able to help someone's family.

A Long Way to the Glacis Wilds

We're on the road again. After buying a lot of gear and supplies at Goblin Mountain (including a certain billowing cloak), we hired a goblin named Risix. He looks pretty wild, but I don't want to judge him on looks alone. He is teaching us a brand new way to cast much more powerful magic using symbols and runes, starting with learning how to fly the barge. We had to leave the horses, despite Borris wanting to tie them to the bottom of the stone slab, and we got our hands on a wardrobe that allows us to exchange gold and materials with the blacksmith back in Goblin Mountain. We're already settling into a rhythm, taking shifts to watch during the day and flying during the night to make sure we stay out of the way of any remaining orc patrols. I've been working with K and Borris on my fighting, with K focusing on the spiritual side with meditation and Borris being willing to spar with me. Unfortunately, Aerylin took it a bit too far and hit me in the back of the head. We made up afterwards, but I still have no idea how that was supposed to help me. At all. During my meditations, I've been trying to reach out to Chauntea through our strained connection, and the only feeling I can get is surprise and distress with the situation the world is in. I also heard more from Lolth's followers, about their history and the 8 matrons of their race. We also found out the name of the drow sorceress we fought at the mountain: Kucniass. Apparently, her mother is upset that Noelani stole her daughter's birthright and has offered up her own daughter as a sacrifice to Lolth... If anyone can find her. I have a feeling that she is laying low. Aerylin also introduced me to Long Island tea. I have no idea where this tea has been my whole life, but it makes me feel good! I feel a lot less tense and much more relaxed. Maybe it has similar properties to wizard weed? I need to check with Aerylin. We also picked up a new passenger; a goblin who Borris was able to save and carry back to our slab. He is from Sgand, and has been transformed into a goblin. It's probably one of the worst things I can imagine, and I really feel for him. He doesn't seem too bothered by it, and kept hitting on me and Borris constantly. He is a noble, but he won't tell us his name, which is a bit alarming to me. Regardless, we couldn't leave him in orc territory, and he offered us gold to take him back to Sgand. We are too far from Sgand, so we offered to drop him off at Yinar. He agreed, and I am now going to have to sleep outside to stay away from his advances. I don't think I'm going to get much sleep again tonight. I had another dream about Amber, It was much more detailed than before, and I finally have a sense of how tenuous her situation is. She is stranded on an island of black sand, with very little material besides the remnants of the ship she was traveling on. There appeared to be no other survivors. In the distance, there was a larger island that seemed much more promising for survival. I need to find her. I'm so conflicted. She needs help, and if I focused on helping her, I'm sure I could get to her... But my friends need me too. I'll try sending her a letter if I can and see if she is able to respond. Maybe there was ink and a quill on the ship she could find! I just don't know what to do. I also sent my letter to Mother and Father. I pray that they'll understand and get to safety. If anything happens to them... I can't think about that. I have to see them again. With Amber.

The Other Boot Drops

I... I'm not sure where to begin. So much has happened, and so much is... wrong. We made it near the top of the mountain, only to find a scene straight from a nightmare; Noelani's nightmare, to be specific. The mysterious figure that had shot the arrow at Aerylin was none other than Vulfy Annanar, the Drow that we had met just before we ran from the Mind Flayers. There were two Magecrest scouts who were wrapped in the webs, one hanging from the top of a massive cave, one lying in front. Suddenly, the biggest spider I have ever seen emerged from the cave, its fangs as long as long swords. A drow sorceress also stepped forward, congratulating Vulfy on his success. The spider made a quick meal of the scout on the ground, killing him quickly, thankfully. His screams and thoughts were horrifying to hear, but there was nothing we could do. We found out that the house of Doz'Valak was behind the attack on this mountain as the sorceress complimented her "pet" Vulfy. And then they turned to us... Just before she sicked her spider on us, we decided to make a run for it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw an elf cutting the remaining scout free from his bindings and pulling him to safety on top of the cave. We would later find out that her name was K, and the scout she had saved was Connor. We scattered pretty quickly once the fight started. Noelani launched wild magic at the beast, confusing it and causing it to attack Vulfy instead of us. While the sorceress prepared spells, I cast Silence and tried to book it out of there. Aerylin provided cover for K with some illusion magic, while Borris's swords were blocked by a counterspell from the drow. Noelani shot another one of her bombs at the spider, the wild magic surrounding the spider creating a sort of super-charged effect. The bomb became as bright as daylight, blinding the spider as it continued to attack Vulfy. In addition to that, Noelani somehow managed to steal the drow talisman from the sorceress, pocketing it for later. The sorceress attempted to revive Vulfy, but Noelani and I made sure he stayed down... Although, I have a feeling that we will see him again. I've never felt so alive before. There's nothing like surviving certain death and coming out of it without a scratch. We were blessed by Chauntea, and it clearly wasn't our time. We were on top of the world after that fight- literally! K explained that she had come from a monastery in Orc territory, and we learned how Connor and his scouts were ambushed. He also mentioned that Mind Flayers were giving the drow some issues within their home. We began to scout the valley with our eyeglasses and confirmed that the secret plans we had found were genuine. Then, we saw it: Every mountain had similar webs on the surface, which could only mean that they were already drow controlled. It went deep into Moradin Theocracy territory, which bodes ill for any help we could have received from them. We sent out our reports and sent a message to the gnome bard Middlefink that she needed to return to the Prince. As we prepared to leave, we saw something impossible. I still can't believe it, and I've stood on it. The goblins, somehow, managed to make their mountain fly. I've never seen magic of this sort before. After having our fill of staring in shock, we began to descend from the mountain, the air continuing to grow colder and as storms began to surround us and the peak of every mountain. We realized that Noelani's dream was a sign that she could somehow summon the power that was creating the storms. I thought for a time that the storms were due to Noelani's deity, Odin, but alas I was proven wrong. When Noelani raised the talisman from the sorceress, lightning struck us all, knocking us flat. When I came to, I felt... Different. My connection to Chauntea was strained, and there was something else. Something dark, almost whispering in my ear, full of anger and unbridled hatred. I still feel it even now. After gathering our wits, the awful truth came to light. Lolthe, the spider queen deity of the drow, had given us a boon on accident. The artifact Noelani had taken was meant to deliver this reward to Lolthe's followers to prepare them for an invasion. She was extremely un-pleased that we had received the blessing instead of the sorceress. However unpleased she was, I can promise that it was less than how horrified I am to receive the boon. My connection to Chauntea is frayed at the moment, and while it may return to full strength soon, I feel unclean and disgusted. Regardless of my own feelings about it, it has given us an advantage: We now know the true depth of the invasion. Through the boon, we can sense that drow throughout the entire world are rising to the surface to invade our lands. Their numbers are vast and possibly unending. We made out way back to the flying mountain and to the Prince, informing him of these developments as he bombed the orc army with artillery stones that had been planted behind their lines. Comets flew in from the sky, devastating them as we flew away. We filled in the Prince, and borrowed one of the Goblin mage's flying barges to start flying north to Borris's home. There's too much going on... The world is getting colder due to something happening in Borris's homeland, the Tall One is still roaming near Greenhorn (although he seems like small potatoes now compared to everything else), the drow are invading everywhere, Aerylins homeland is shattered and she is being hunted by a demon, Noelani has a mission from Odin, my sister is shipwrecked on an island, and my parents are right in the line of fire in the Grove... I need to write my folks. I'm sure it will be an awkward conversation, but I need them to get out of the Grove and into southern Magecrest. I'm so tired. We're just five people! How did all of this end up on our laps? Why does it feel like no one else is doing anything to stop everything wrong with the world? What can we do? Why us?

Climbing the Mountain

After fighting across the front lines, we finally managed to reach the western flank. We rested with some soldiers by a campfire; some were nice, some were.... not, to put it lightly. I also managed to check in on their wounded tent and heal some of their soldiers with some light magic and a prayer of healing. We gave our horses to the medics for bringing the wounded back to Greenhorn. I hope they will be put to good use, there were a lot of wounded in that tent I never even got to. As we prepared to set out, a soldier gave us a stone that they said would call in Magecrest magic artillery. Not sure what that means, but if we use it, I'll be sure to get as far away as possible from it as fast as I can. Not sure what kind of target would be worth that effort though... As we left, it began to steadily rain on us. The water on the ground mixed with the blood of the dead. I prayed to Chauntea for their passing on the bodies I could find, but there were so many... We couldn't light torches because the orcs would have spotted us instantly, so we had to make do with the little light we had from the moonless night. I thought I saw someone watching us from the shadows, but by the time I told everyone else, they were gone. We eventually came upon an orc encampment where orcs were sleeping on higher-up areas to stay away from the chest-high water below. We slowly crept through the camp, and with some clever thinking and investigating, we managed to find secret plans that the orcs had hidden away. We found out that they were planning to flank on the left, with their warrior king imbuing the power of their deity Grumsh by ripping out his eye (yikes). We passed along all information to Prince Philip, as well as the alarming fact that a group called the Bloodsworn were planning to attack the Magecrest army from the rear after their beasts ravaged the frontline. After passing along this information, we continued up the mountain, seeing the figure again. They were climbing ahead of us but did not seem bothered by the climbing like we were. We soon noticed that spiders were swarming around our feet, and webs were soon surrounding us in the trees. Suddenly, we were ambushed by two large spiders with heavily armored legs. We quickly killed them, but they managed to bite Aerylin and Borris. After that, Borris received a letter from the Goblins that said they would ally with Magecrest if the nation would defend them as well. We passed this information along to the Prince and continued up the mountain. The webs began to get so thick that even the light from the sky was almost impossible to see. At this point, Aerylin got a letter from her mother/ Before she could grab it, she was hit by an arrow from the mysterious figure, who quickly retreated. I gave her some healing, and she told us that the letter was from her mom, saying that her nation was broken, with infighting and armies occupying homes. It also said that a group was harvesting people and throwing them into the sea. I was horrified. Once we handle Borris's situation, and this war, we need to help her family as soon as possible! I also found out about dream snares. I guess I still have a lot more to learn next time I get into town. After hearing this disturbing news, we had no choice but to continue onward and upward. These webs are foreboding, and I fear what we will find on top of the mountain...

♪ We Gotta Get Out of This Place ♪

We managed to hold the line. The orcs snuck in at dark and killed a fourth of Magecrest's army in one day. It was brutal. I still feel like we should have made more of an effort to find the Prince to tell him about Noelani's dream, but that's just hindsight talking. We were all so tired from riding so hard to reach the battlefield, and there was no way to know that her dream would be so literal. If her dream was so literal, I'm even more worried about my dreams of Amber. Maybe she really is in danger, and what if I'm going the wrong way? I have no time to focus on that right now. It's hard to think. Facing the orcs was... Different. It felt strange killing something that wasn't a monster. I still see that orc's face just before I cut his head off. Come to think of it, I'm not entirely sure this scythe has ever drawn blood before; it was always more ceremonial than practical whenever father used it. Despite everything, our group held. Borris killed a ton in the last wave, Noelani wiped out the first wave with some wild magic, and Aerylin kept blasting anything that moved. She also climbed inside one of the dinosaurs..... Not sure what to make of that. We make a good team, but now I'm exhausted.... We met with the Prince, who wasn't pleased about us not telling him about the dream. Noelani was very confrontational with him, which I'm not sure was a good idea. The Prince seemed stressed. I would be too if I was in his situation, to be honest. Still, it was no excuse to belittle our feats in battle and to chew us out. I gave him a blessing regardless. He seemed like he needed it. Now we're off to the Western Front. We have to find out as scouts any information about this area of the front and where the Prince's scouts have disappeared too. Then, we need to report back. I don't like this situation, but now we're committed. If we fail, the most powerful kingdom next to my home will fall, and we need all the protection we can get. I'm also scared. I think I got overwhelmed today, and my hands won't stop shaking. It was like a shockwave hit me causing the mother of all headaches. The Gift is still with me, which I suppose is both comforting and a curse, given my surroundings. I can hear them in my mind, thousands of voices screaming out in one long discordant melody. I can't even understand half of them, and I don't care too. I'll be happy when we leave this battlefield, I can't focus while I'm here. I just need a nap.... zzzzzzzzZZZZzzzzzzz......

Please Hold

Due to extraneous circumstances, Sam Talbot can not currently answer your message. Please leave your message at the magic whoosh tone, and they will get back to you at their earliest convenience! *Whoosh.* "THEY HAVE DINOSAURS!? WHAT THE F-"

The Shopping Episode/In the Army Now

Well, we're in the army now. The dreams of our group refuse to stop, and once we consulted with the head of the temple of Moradin in the city, we now know that we have to act on them. The only sure direction we have is Borris's old village... right through orc territory. While I want to help Amber right away, there is no telling what island she is on, or even what part of the world her ship crashed in. Besides, it would be hard to ask for help in my goals without at least attempting to help someone else with their own. After informing the Council of the city about the orc and goblin threats (which in retrospect they seemed pretty calm and collected about), we had to find something to do for money and to act on the dreams we are having. Although Aerilyn was against it, we voted to join as mercenaries to fight against the orc army. 500 gold a day for each of us seems like a fair price, and it's in the direction we need to go in order to figure out what is going on in Borris's village. We also made a few stops at some local shops to gear up for the journey, although we understandably were unable to procure a diamond. I hope we won't come to regret it. I'm also concerned about Aerilyn and Noelani's dreams. A countdown of dying crows? A countdown to what? And the army; could it be the orc army? And the demon Aerilyn sees in her constant nightmares.... I fear I made things worse by mentioning her possible situation. I do not think I will speak any more about it unless I am sure I can help. Otherwise, I am worrying her for no reason. I will continue to meditate on this. On top of all this, the seasons are changing far too soon. I fear it has something to do with the powerful explosions that moved the clouds. And there's also the necromancer. He must be dealt with soon. While his minions did not attack us, their existence is a threat to the natural order. There is too much to think about, and battle will be upon us soon. I must sleep. I pray we make our way through the darkness and its terrors. There is too much at stake.

Of Trolls and Drunkards

Nothing quite like being woken up by being crushed almost to death by an axe. I had a vision again, but this time so much more vivid, somehow. I was holding a lantern on a ship, but I had no control of myself. Thoughts that weren't my own entered my mind, such as a brief thought of abandoning the earth and the disappointment of Chauntea. As I looked over the front of the ship, I saw a mermaid-shaped wooden sprite. I barely had time to register this before a huge grey mass slammed into the ship, knocking me out... Leaving me in my morning predicament. As I sat there begging for help from Aerilyn and Noelani, they calmly woke up and left me there, slowly being crushed. I like to think I don't get mad easily, but I've almost never been so angry before in my life- except once. They went to go get breakfast and just left me there. Luckily, after AN HOUR of suffering, Borris came around and happily retrieved his axe. I'm so grateful to him, even if he only just wanted his axe back. It's good to have him back. I was worried that he wouldn't make it, but seeing him alive and well, if a bit tired, made me so relieved. In the Adventurer's Guild, we saw many people in front of a board grabbing pieces of paper. We got breakfast, only for some drunk man to wander into the bar. he looked kind of rough, almost like he was going to die. Naturally, I tried to help, but he only wanted ale. After getting him on his feet, he introduced himself as Caz. He said he was looking for his friend Keenor York, but we had no idea who he was talking about. From his clothes, it looked like he was possibly a scout of some sort. As we were speaking, Aerilyn mentioned smelling smoke of some sort. While there was no sign of anything of the sort, I think I need to talk with her about this soon. I feel like I left a bad impression when I said her family was cursed. She is very kind, even if she does no believe it. Noelani seemed a bit distracted as well, come to think of it. Hmm. After breakfast, we looked at what turned out to be a "quest board" of some sort. We took one of the quests off the board about a live troll needed for experiments and headed off to the nicer portion of town. We were stopped by the guards who took pity on us for not having a pass and offered to escort us through the gate. After finding the contract holder, a wizard of some sort named Raymond Kenley, we haggled (mostly unsuccessfully) with him for a better price. I was uncomfortable with how the rest of the party blankly asked for more than four times his original offered payment, which Raymond immediately denied. I know we need money, but.... Anyways, we eventually agreed on a better price and left with a downpayment. a magical cage, and a wagon. For some reason, the rest of the party wanted to sell the cage and the wagon and to not complete the job we had agreed to. Although I was nervous about going against the group, I put my foot down. This was wrong, and we needed to do what we had promised... Especially since we had taken the contract in full view of the adventurer's guild. Luckily, the rest of the group gave in and we began looking for ways to find out more info about trolls. After making a wrong turn to the Bard College, which made Aerilyn extremely happy to meet other bards and Middlefink Puddleblast, the leader of the College. After learning some more knowledge from Raymond, we went to a bridge where Caz had seen a blue troll. We placed the cage near the water and waited to spring a trap with Borris dancing inside the cage to draw the troll in. After waiting for an hour, I finally saw the beast poking its head out of the water. I pointed this out to the rest of the group and Aerilyn quickly cast a spell to make the water near the troll appear as if it was on fire. The troll quickly hid, forcing me to approach and draw it out with some gold. Unfortunately, this was the wrong move. The troll jumped out of the water and onto the bridge, hitting me repeatedly as Caz tried to deal as much damage as possible. I wasn't sure how long I could hold out, but whenever the troll hit me, the impacts felt deadened somehow. Just a gift of the magic water I suppose. Despite how tired he was Borris did a great job attacking the troll and keeping it from moving towards Noelani and Aerilyn. Noelani broke the troll's knee after some time using her magic and Borris manage to trip it up. I had to use my Hellish Rebuke spell as well in order for our damage to stick to the troll after it kept healing itself. Aerilyn... I heard Aerilyn yelling some language I couldn't understand and standing in the cage. Luckily after tripping the troll, we knocked it out, putting it into the cage. Caz's drinking friend Keenor finally showed himself and offered us passage into the nice portion of the city if we offered him a portion of the glory for taking out the troll. We agreed and brought the troll to Raymond for our reward. As we were walking, Caz told us that there had been strange things afoot and that the city of Greenhorn was in danger. He had seen the Tall One raising the undead outside of the city, and that an army of 100,000 orcs was on their way and would arrive in four days. I feel like I have a concussion, despite having very few marks on me from the troll's blows. That fight was brutal, but luckily no one else was hurt. I'll happily take the hits, I don't mind... But I can feel my knowledge of the magic water slipping. I feel weaker than I have since drinking the water, and I'm feeling more and more like myself. I can feel the magic imbued in me reducing, and I don't know what will happen when it is gone. As for Caz's news.... I am terrified. 100,000 orcs. coming here? We need to tell the Prince immediately. We don't have much time. Chauntea protect us all. Please. Especially Amber.

Getting Arrested and Saving Borris

So.... I got arrested. As soon as we got into Cleargrove, the Goblins that were there took Borris into their care. For what it's worth, at least they tried. But as soon as they took Borris, some lady (I think her name was Tracy?) accused me of murdering her husband! I could barely speak. What's worse, the guard arrested me without evidence and tossed me in jail to await the magistrates to arrive in three weeks. I haven't been that angry in a long time. Since I wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, I waited for my friends to help me get out of the predicament and clear my name. Surprisingly, it wasn't too long until Tracy was brought in, carried by Aerilyn, and crying. One explanation and a Zone of Truth spell later, and I was free again, with no.... um, no new bloodshed. Our next issue was Borris. He was getting worse, and the Goblins and healers in the town were unable to help. We had to get to Greenhorn. We got some horses, a muskox, and a mastiff. Not sure about the need for the other animals, and the horses are a bit too big for me, but I'm sure they will show their use in time. We rode for two nights straight. By the time we arrived in Greenhorn, I felt like death. We were able to get to a temple of Moradin, and thankfully their head priest was willing to help. It was even free. I may be a follower of Chauntea, but I feel like I can trust kind people like this. We went to the Adventurer's Hall for lodging. We had to name our group. "The Cursed Crusaders". It has a ring to it, although I don't feel too cursed. I just haven't mastered my "gift" yet... I think. I hope we are able to get some supplies and make some money. Our dash to Greenhorn didn't leave out finances in a good spot. I may not be the best with money, but even I know we can't afford food and lodging if we run out of money. Hopefully, the worst is behind us and the Prince listens to us about the Goblins.

Leaving Goblin Mountain

After everything we saw down in the caverns, I'm just happy to have fresh air again. I'm not meant for the underground. I'm even happier that everyone made it out alive, although I am worried about Boris. I've heard of spells that can remove curses, but there's no telling when I will have the chance to perfect them. I'm not sure he has much time. I'm keeping Gentle Repose at the ready in case it is needed, although I hope it doesn't come to that. I hope the way we left doesn't impact the goblins too much, but I'm not too worried. They seem to manage well enough on their own. I wish we had gotten more of that water out of the mountain, but the priests' warnings about spreading the water are still following me. I need to study it more. Perhaps if I had more equipment, I'd be able to get more done with it. Then there are also the noises and clouds.... Nothing good can come from the magic that powerful. For now, we will have to just hope it doesn't affect us. I'm also concerned that the issue with the Goblins and Magecrest might be beyond us. We are not very well-suited to diplomacy, with much evidence to that effect. Speaking of our capabilities.... I'm not sure what to think of my friends. They are very odd, but I'm not sure what their goals are. Boris seems like a decent person, despite taking unnecessary risks. Aerilyn is interesting, although I'm afraid I may have offended her. Still, I trusted her with my family secret, which I hope doesn't come back to bite me. And Noelani.... I'm not sure what to think about her, or her patron. Antagonizing me by messing with the body of the captain was a bit too much, and against Chantea's teachings. I may need to keep an eye on her. In addition to all this, I still need to find my sister although I'm not sure where to start looking first. So much to think about. I hope we can save Boris. This smell isn't letting me think. I think I will rest for now.