4th 14th, 3241 (cont.)
Not long into our journey, Jadenhar said he felt there was a ruin nearby. We decided to go out of the way to get to it as it wouldn’t be that far and we could still catch the caravan.

The path to the ruins brought us off the road and into the woods towards a lake. As we approached it, we could hear gasping which turned out to be from a fey creature named Imdal. He was being attacked by living vines. We took care of the vines but Imdal didn’t trust us too much. He said the forest is angry and that a ghost is plaguing it. Imdal himself is a fawn, one of many of the mysterious fey creatures in this land.

The ruins offered new magic to me and I accepted the gift of being able to cover my group’s tracks as we travel.

While Imdal played his pipes, Jadenhar found some ancient dead with some money. This can only help us on our journey. I presume Jadenhar said some prayers for these people, or at least this place. It is sacred to him in some way. The writing on the walls is odd. I think I could decipher some of it, but the symbols just don’t make a lot of sense when combined like a normal language. It’s as if the same symbol means something different depending on what it’s paired with, but I don’t see the pattern.

Now we rest here in this area before moving on.

4th 15th, 3241
I dreamed this morning about Gwen. She was in a dark wooded area lying down exhausted. She then faded into nothingness. The others didn’t seem to think much of it. Jadenhar in particular seemed only interested in meeting the caravan. Also, Imdal was gone, sneaking away in the night.

We went back to check on Gwen and found signs of a struggle, but nobody was there. On the way back to the ruin, we came across Scark. He admitted to having run-ins with the fey and didn’t seem like he minded it.

After talking to him, we found Imdal’s trail and followed it. It led into the deep woods. We were getting tired and some creature started causing mischief with us. It was some kind of small colorful dragon. Then, suddenly, the trail stopped. We decided to make camp, since we were too tired to seek shelter and wouldn’t be much good if it came to a fight here.

4th 16th, 3241
Gilroy woke me up on his watch. There were tiny people all over, little fey. They spoke in Old Pryma, just like Imdal. They wanted to take us to a gathering that happens only once a month. They seemed insistent, and also claimed they don’t cause people to never return to their villages, though I suspect that’s a lie. We committed to trying to help the fey rid their forest of the ghost menacing it, but it’s no wonder they can’t help themselves; they’re only concerned with mischief. But, we decided to go to their gathering anyway.

The Speaker has been returned to Allieua. Mission Accomplished. But why do I feel so terrible about it? No one died that day on our side or theirs. We even made them an offering of a magic item to sate their lust for the arcane. But to do so we made a deal, a deal we abandoned. Arius wished nothing to do with them, good or ill. Something inside of him just tripped, like closing a shutter. Once it happened his view was completely different. The rest, well, an assault would likely have proven fatal for at least one of us, on their ground. We considered single combat. I even volunteered. Yet, in doing so, I fear that I knew I would perish and so didn’t press for this when I could and should have. That was the right thing to do.

It seems there are ramifications both subtle and powerful for backing down. After we returned home dead man washed up on the coast. I was alone so I signalled for aid. I was lucky it arrived because surely some divine power was interceding, deflecting my blows. I’m being punished for my cowardice against the kobold leader. Luckily help arrived and destroyed the things for I certainly would have died.

I pray that our recommendations for fortifying the town, increasing the watch, and better arming the guard will protect them for I certainly have not. The Leader may have sanctioned our actions but wasn’t I told to trust no one? Not even my friends?

Worse is coming. This curse is only the beginning. I must find a way to make amends and never again put my life over others.

4th 13th, 3241 (cont.)
After dinner, which wasn’t completely disgusting as you might expect, Dazen negotiated with the “kobolds”, as they are apparently called. We agreed to some manner of bargain. We would get the Speaker now but we would do our best to learn how to use magic to make Kabulak a dragon, or at least provide him some kind of magic offering. Dazen also had to leave his bracers with them.

I’m glad we didn’t have to fight them all, but I do worry for the town now. We have no intention of returning. So, if Kabulak keeps his side of the bargain, he will wait a week and then head for town with violent intentions.

Right now, we are making camp on the wrong peninsula as we went the wrong direction. Tomorrow, we will have to find our way back to town, unless of course we decide to go back to the kobolds and take care of them.

4th 14th, 3241
We made our way back to town today. It took far less time when we knew [mostly] where we were going.

The leaders heeded our warnings. We had some suggestions on how they could deal with the kobolds, but ultimately it will come to a battle and I fear they may be casualties because of our deal. I can only hope that without our actions, even more would have perished, so that we did some good before leaving with the caravans.

Not long after we arrived, Gilroy was attacked on the coast. Everybody could see his beam of light when it started, so we rushed from different places around town to go help. Many dead bodies had come alive and as they floated to the coast, they attacked. We fought them all off and hopefully that will be the last plague that this town faces for a while.

We now ride out with horses provided by the town. Mine is named Seeker and he listens to me well enough. I need more practice before I could call myself a decent rider though.

We seek the caravans, and then on to Saring. If these trials that Allieua faced are any indication of how this world works, I suspect we will not be mere tagalongs on this trip.

…

…

Hello?

I can’t see anything.

W—— am I?

Is that light? Singing? No…chanting?

It’s cold now. It feels damp, and heavy. I’m…touching something. The ground! I’m alive! But…how?
__________________________________________________________

4th 13th

It’s been an exceptionally long two days. I’m collecting my thoughts now at the home of one of the dragonmen tribes. We’ve come all this way to get the Speaker back. Thankfully he’s still alive.

I don’t know what to do here. I can’t talk to these things any more than I could to that strange man, Krythis. I’ve been practicing Pryma with Vindral but the speed of the conversation is just to fast to be able to join them. It’s so aggravating! I get so angry being on the sidelines, KNOWING that man’s mind is bent towards foul things. What’s worse is he has the power to achieve them. I nearly leapt from my skin to strangle him! How am I to balance that letting someone live enables them to do wrong in the future when I had the opportunity to stop them now?

I fear the same with these creatures. I know in my heart that their leader is malicious but I know equally well that they have young and, to the extent they can, regular folk too. Our world is as dangerous to them as it is to us. Why should our right to thrive trump theirs? And yet, why shouldn’t both our peoples be able to live in peace, or at least not in active conflict? I can’t even tell them any of that though because we don’t share a common tongue!! I must control the frustrations that drive me to rage. If a nonviolent solution can be met and I fouled it up by acting out of anger then the blood of everyone that dies will be on my hands. I must have faith in Dazen and the others that they will try their best and do what is right.

And yet, what the dragonmen did was unmistakably wrong. Forgiveness is given to those who show contrition. Without it they risk being left with the last thing I can offer them: a final retribution.

4th 12th, 3241, cont.
It seemed we went back in time. We retraced our steps going up through the tower. I took the sight power from the building and used it to find Krythis on the roof again. We then spoke with him again, but he remembered nothing. It was a very frustrating experience, but we seemed to convince him not to mess around with the tower. At least, not tonight.

But when we returned to the machine room, two elementals came in. They were made of clouds and sparks and attacked us without hesitation. It proved difficult for all of us to hit them, but in the end we prevailed. My friends used some powers I hadn’t seen before. Jaden make a staff heavy, but swift, and lethal. Gilroy healed others with a touch. And Dazen let out a scream so loud it almost felt painful.

Afterward, Krythis was gone from the roof and everything was quiet. At the bottom floor, Arius touched his staff to the floor and said, “Allieua,” and we ended up back at the ruins. Based on what Krythis said about this being an observatory. I touched the circle and said, “Oei”, and we were back in the tower.

While the circles are faster transportation than a boat, we did have to return Dazen’s family’s boat so we walked back to it. On the way, some marsh snakes came after us, but we Jaden entangled them and we moved on.

When Dazen went underwater at the shore to call Seesha, he ended up with blood on his face. He said there were dead in the water. I didn’t and still don’t understand what happened then. But we got on the boat and Seesha helped us move quickly to the town.

On the way, we noticed two interesting things. The five of us could see the tower where before it was obscured. And the town had smoke rising from it.

We went to the source of the fire as quick as we could and found that the church had been victim of a dragonmen attack. Besides lighting things on fire, they looted the place and kidnapped the Speaker. It seemed his abduction in days past was not by chance.

We tracked the dragonmen and found them on the northern end of town in the forest. The battle was easier than past skirmishes with them and we chose to leave one alive. Dazen charmed the thing and convinced it to take us to its leader, Kabulak.

After walking for a short time, we found ourselves tired so we made camp. I took first watch and found I couldn’t ignore whatever it was that was watching us from the darkness. I awoke Jaden and he said it was the spirits of the woods.

4th 13th, 3241
We traveled north in search of the dragonmen camp. It took all day but we did find it. They took us in, as prisoners, and we found ourselves surrounded by dozens of them. Kabulak was a large red one, about the size of one of us.

We convinced him to let us see the Speaker, but the things he said were disturbing. He said they need the Speaker’s magic to help them make a dragon, then maybe he will die.

We bargained with them quite a bit and found ourselves invited for dinner.

So that’s what death, and subsequently resurrection feels like.

These past 24 hours have been most unsettling. After the walls began to bleed, the skeletal corpse rose up and began to combat us. The entirety of the room felt like it was against us. While the skeleton acted us physically, the room itself seemed to attack our souls. A successful assault on us was represented by stains on the wall. We were all able to overcome and seemingly bring the haunting to an end. That underground room seemed to lose its stability after the ghosts were purged and caved in. We managed to retrieve some interesting items and documents before this happened though. During the fight, I remembered what my ancestors instructed me to do and brought flesh back to the skeleton. I was hoping this would weaken it, but it did not. However, it did reveal an elf that was strikingly similar to me. Peculiar.

We brought the body to the ruins and I spent the night there with Arius. The next day, I brought him to our part of the village and directly to the chief. He seemed very unsettled and immediately sent for my mother. She revealed to me that this was my grandfather and that she once lived in that house long ago. Apparently that side of the family seems to be as upstanding as the Terrings. We resolved to burn this corpse and be done with it.

I couldn’t deal with that at the time. Our group had to meet with the leader and reveal our findings. We informed him that the building was ready for demolition and recovery of materials. However, we also discussed our findings of someone observing the island. So, in contrast to our original plans of going with the caravan, we decided to go where no one had come back from to our knowledge.

The boat ride was surprisingly uneventful. We arrived on the shore just outside of a small inlet that seemed a bit dangerous to go into. I insisted we go north and find a path inland. My friends thought we should go into the bay area. We found several corpses of villagers and then were subsequently attacked by giant flys and maggots. I did not imagine creatures like this could exist. They were vicious. I knew we should not have come in here. It is the most likely place for someone to get attacked. After the battle, we found a path just north as I had originally suggested and began trudging through the forest. What we found next we never could have forseen.

An ancient ruin with a massive tower stood before us. If our spy was looking for something, he was probably looking for this. We approached and entered. Aside from the footprints we were following, there were no signs of anything dangerous. On the first floor of the inside, humanoid bones scattered the floor. After traversing the incredibly slippery steps, the second floor revealed a wondrous chamber filled with crystal rods. This area infused me with power similar to the ruins. It replaced the ability I was granted there. We decided to explorer the roof before investigating this area further.

On the roof we did in fact find someone. He made Gilroy very uncomfortable but he was just looking at the sky and taking notes. He said he was attempting to find a pattern in the stars, which to our knowledge, there was none. He revealed to us that the chamber below is an observatory that is capable of observing far away places, but it was broken. However, he seemed to think he fixed it, so we allowed him to continue his experiment. We had no proof that he had done anything wrong, but he had apparently tried to use the broken apparatus the same night that the stars fell. He began to pull the rods in some calculated order, but when he was done, something went horribly wrong. A hellish being appeared before us. Monstrous, wielding several weapons. In an instant, the man disappeared and the creature struck us down with ease. I fell in a single blow and fell down to the floor below.

But now I am standing, and so is everyone else. What happened? Are we even alive?

4th 11th, 3241, cont.
The bloody walls gained blood symbols throughout the fight. Each time one appeared near me, it felt like my soul was being sucked away. While others fought the skeleton, I spent most of the fight burning away the symbols. At one point, my sword even lashed out in a blast of white fire that burned away several at once. The symbols were the same as the ones on the brands from the first floor.

Jaden used his magic to restore the flesh of the skeleton, revealing that it looked a lot like him. We still don’t know what that means. Apparently, the ancestors told Jaden he should prepare the spell that did

After the fight, I found some keys on the body, one of which opened the chest. Within was more magical items, as well as money. It contained three love potions (apparently, such a thing exists), a mummified elven hand that has some magic properties, and a small pouch of sparkling gray powder. It can hide your passage if you toss it into the air. There were also many coins and a cloak that lets you blend in with your surroundings.

The room collapsed over the next few minutes. We were able to rescue many books and notes, but not all of them. As we investigated the rest of the house, it seemed the evil spirits were all gone. As we took our things to the ruins, we found tracks that led to the sea. Somebody was likely watching us, perhaps the person staying in the manor.

4th 12th, 3241
We found out the body from the manor was Jaden’s grandfather. That side of his family dealt in strange, powerful magics, and we had to deal with its last remnant. But, there are more mysteries to his family and we need to be cautious about what we say and do.

The Leader talked to us about the notes we found. He knows Saring so he was able to translate. He said they mention fire rituals kept the water spirit bound. There was also some talk about Lehamo. He wanted us to check it out because this person spying on us and investigating Lehamo could be dangerous.

We took Dazen’s family’s boat to the island, mainly following the currents. There weren’t any tracks in the immediate area where we beached so we sought them out. Instead, we found some bodies that must have washed ashore during the recent disasters. It was terrible to see them but even worse to find they were infested by giant maggots. And giant flies were nearby. All attacked us. We were able to fend them off and burn the bodies.

We soon found a marshy trail and followed it inland. The sky was getting dark so Gilroy activated his halo for light. The birds were watching us. We pressed on as the trees started to thin and we found a tower. Oddly, the tower was definitely tall enough that it should be visible from Allieua but we’ve never seen it.

As we entered the tower, the same blue light lines appeared that we saw in the northern ruins. I felt the same pull of power as well. The ground floor had nothing but bones with signs of battle and stairs going up. Following them, we found a higher floor with floating platforms, levels, panels, and all manner of strange things. I could feel two powers to choose from, just like the northern ruins, except the choices were different.

There was a doorway leading outside. Once there, we found stairs leading around the tower to the top. Jaden didn’t want to use his new power to see what was on the roof, so I accepted the same power and saw for myself. There was a person with long black hair and robes of several colors on the roof with a book, looking at the sky.

We approached him cautiously. He was human, his name Krythis. He said he is looking for a pattern in the stars, which Dazen said doesn’t exist. He said this place is an observatory and that it is broken, but he is trying to repair it or do something with it. He even used it during the disasters though he insisted those events were unrelated. Gilroy was very uncomfortable about this man the entire time he was there.

Krythis showed us a sunstone and claimed it was the missing piece that would make the observatory work again. He said it’s the “keystone.” He then went down the stairs to the room with the controls.

While there, he pulled many levers. As he did so, we could see through the walls. The view then got blurry, misty, then golden misty. As the golden mist thinned, a giant creature appeared amidst the whirring machine parts above us. He said he had to kill us all for trying to cause a separation, whatever that means. He surrounded Krythis with metal rings, but Krythis then disappeared. The rest of us had barely seconds before we were all killed.

Yes, killed.

We then all woke up on the ground floor. I remembered a light and a warmth, and heard chanting voices similar to the ones from the northern ruins.

Some things have improved since I made that wish days ago. The council, and people in town in general, know we have magic and value us to protect it. That does not mean, however, they are not still somewhat frightened or skeptical, but it’s better than the alternative.

Most recently, the Leader asked our group, the 5, if we could investigate and make ready the “haunted” mansion up past the Terring mansion. We agreed to do it. 1) It’s’ the right thing to do. The lumber can be used to help reconstruct broken homes and other buildings. 2) The caravaners and traders will be coming through soon, so they’ll need places to stay. I doubt they’d want to stay in a broken Jewel. 3) It helps us look reputable. 4) We might get to use more of our powers.

We started our journey during the daytime, and given that it’s not far we arrived unscathed and rather quickly. (As an aside, I’d like to note that I’d have to ride a horse to keep up with the other 4 of my friends. I used to think maybe I just moved a little slower than they, but I move the same speed as everyone else in town. Maybe I’m not really the fifth member, but if I’m not, who am I?)

We started with the small servant house in the front of the estate. Upon careful investigation, Vindral and Jaden found that the wood used to construct the structures is the same wood used at the first fire. However, while investigating the “small” building, weird things started happening. Voices, whispers, magic emanating from inanimate objects, and then Jaden losing control of himself and starting to dance. He was panicked while dancing, not in control of himself. It was terrifying. Apparently one particular voice sounded like my friend from the Jewel, singing her heart out in a familiar tune. Shortly after, Arius regularly stated his complete lack of desire for being in that building, so we put it on the back-burner and headed into the mansion itself.

Big place. Nice place. Crazy place. I’m not going to get into all the details, because THAT much weird stuff happened, but the house started attacking us. Cabinets, drawers, chairs, fire pokers (with the Terring brand, mind you), and a range of other really strange things. More voices and whispers would sound once we started interacting with the area. The solution turned out to be healing magic. The house isn’t haunted, it’s hurt. Well, it’s probably haunted because it’s hurt.

That proved true with each doorway we passed through, as I would often hear, “Dazen, can you heal the door?” Now I haven’t been doing this for very long, but I don’t remember reading anything about healing magic working on objects. There’s other magic for that. So that means, something about this house is alive… and that’s scary.

After taking care of most of the house, including me shooting starfire at some chairs (I told you – weird), we headed back to see the Keeper in hopes she might be able to purify the area. According to her that ability is out of her reach.

One thing I know for certain. The Terrings know things. I’m good at getting people to do things I want them to do, but I do it with charm. You don’t get to control the financial interests and profits of an entire town without some secrets and manipulation.

4th 8th, 3241, excerpted
The pouch that Gwen left me is filled with bluebells. They are magical and somehow related to healing. Not all of the blossoms have these properties. These may come in handy.
…
I finished the chakrams that Gilroy commissioned and our training is going well.

4th 9th, 3241, excerpted
We were able to sell the things we acquired during the disasters. It seems much of the money in the town is currently tied up so we were paid partially in credit.

4th 11th, 3241
The Leader called us together again. He wanted us to investigate the Khierast Manor. Much of the town needs wood and the manor’s boards may be salvageable. I hadn’t seen it myself, but some say it burned down or was haunted.

The Khierasts were a mostly elven family, focused on entertainment. They trained people for caravans, were very talented with animals, and were a well respected family until they left the town a little over 100 years ago. Little is known about what happened.

We agreed to help, of course. Khierast Manor is located on the north end of town, not far from the Terring Manor. It’s hard to believe people would let a place like that sit there for so long, but the Terrings probably didn’t want anybody to go there.

The Manor has a smaller building nearby. As we approached, we could see that both buildings were losing the battle against nature but were still in fairly good shape. This is likely because they were constructed in part with the strong wood of the First Fire trees.

As we approached the smaller building, it was immediately obvious that something was wrong. The place was ominous and disconcerting. I drew Daemon’s Death and approached. The craftsmanship of the wood was high. The entrance depicted dancing elves.

Within was a single chamber split in half. The front area was like a lobby of some kind, while the back contained a stage. At first it seemed like there was nothing there, but then the music started. It sounded like elves practicing a song and reminded me of sad memories, but it made Jaden actually start dancing. Once Jaden stopped, he said the music sounded like Rilla and Dazen said he heard her sing that song before. I don’t know what this means yet, but it seems like we should talk to her.

The main building couldn’t have been more haunted. Even the doorways were possessed of some malevolence. Gilroy could see it somehow. I am still coping with the fact that I can make my hands webbed, but my friends are otherworldly. I would say that itself is scary, but in practice it’s always good. I do not share my neighbors’ prejudices.

The manor was laid out in a fairly typical fashion. There was a dining hall, a topiary room, a study, a kitchen, etc. Many of the rooms were haunted. I didn’t care for it, but we pressed on. Chairs attacked us, doors closed behind us, and strange noises echoed out.

Two events were particularly worrisome. The pokers that came out of the fire to attack us were really brands and they bore the Terring symbol. And on the second floor, we found a Feybelanje, a spirit that was burned alive. It was an elven fetus. These two facts point to a potentially evil intent from the Terrings. The brands suggest a long term influence over the Khierasts, but the dead spirit and indeed the entire haunted house suggest something malicious happened here. And while I bare no previous ill views on the Terrings, this evidence does not show them in a favorable light.

There were some signs that creatures were living in here is well. We found starving dragonmen and vanquished them to keep ourselves and the town safe. We also found evidence somebody slept here in a more civilized manner: a bedroll, several flasks, and a bird from a foreign land. I’m not sure what it all means yet because the paper’s found there are written in Saring. We’ll have to get them translated. Whoever this was also marked locations on his map of the best views of Lehamo.

Ultimately, we cleared out the entire above ground level and had yet to find a hidden passage to the basement so we removed the things we found (some, oddly, being magical) and sought out the Keeper. She claimed she had no magic powerful enough to bring an entire house to rest.

Upon our return, we found the hidden chambers. The basement was haunted as well. And the one true room at the end of the chamber was one of the most disturbing in the house. A skeleton was inside. We were only in for a moment when the walls started seeping blood.

4th 3rd, 3241

The following is, to the best of my recollection, what transpired in my head in the Speaker’s Vault.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Hello. I can hear you.”

Um…hello?

“How can I help you?”

I’m Gilroy. Did you give me this power? What is it for?! Why me?

“No. I am a servant. I wish to help you. You must uncover the truth.”

Tell m- please, tell me your name. How do I find the truth?

“I am your Messenger. You must take action in the name of the Gods. You have been chosen. Corruption is rife around you. Your power is light beyond what others have been gifted.”

How do I uncover the truth, find the corruption?

“Fight those who lie, the wicked, the evil. You must seek the truth through investigation of this existence. Trust only your work, not the lies, confusion, perceptions of others, including your family, friends, or leaders.”

If I am to trust no one, when why should I trust you?

“Trust in what you discover. Know that I am a Messenger. I speak only to guide.”

Can you teach me to control the lights? How to turn them off?….And how will I call you if I need help?

“Pray. Feel for the light. Want to help. There is darkness around you. Seek out evil. Want to find it.”

Thank you.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Since that day I’ve made a lot of progress gaining control of my powers thanks to working with the Keeper and the Speaker. But I haven’t been able to commune with the Messenger again.