September 601
9-01-601 (Saturday)
Diakaryu found me, as usual and as expected, and this time I wasn't alone,
and I was prepared. Or so I thought anyway. The portal appeared, as it
usually does with the horrible sound of something like flesh ripping, but this
time no one stepped through. Odd indeed. It was almost as if he were extending
the invitation to me this time. That alone was enough to give me chills. Of
course it was impossible to see what lie ahead since the surface of his portals
are always blacker then the winter night sky with no moon. I was
prepared...right? and so after taking a deep breath, I stepped through.
I was not expecting fully what lay on the other side. I had guessed, but the
sight I took in was nothing that I could have even dreamed of (had I even wanted
too). The were thousands upon thousands of undead scattered everywhere in tents
or limping around moaning. We were smack dab in the middle of his army! We were
clearly at more of a disadvantage then we had been prepared for. And there stood
Diakaryu, not but a few yards away, smiling as if we were the blunt of some well
executed joke. We were ready to deal with him, but not with his whole army as
well, and they stood...waiting now. Leaving was all I could think of, and as if
Diakaryu had been reading my mind, the portal behind us snapped shut. He
smiled... I wonder sometimes... With little choice, we cautiously stepped
forward toward the reason we had come here in the first place. With every step I
took, I could feel myself changing, and so by the time we reached him I knew I
was ready to handle not only him, but his army as well. Now if I could just get
the others back first.
Diakaryu tried to make small talk, but I cut him off. He seemed a bit surprised
by this, and so I continued to verbally lash at him with every threat I could
think of. Unfortunately I could do nothing until my companions were safely home. Eventually he tired of listening to me, and to my relief, opened
another portal. Good. This fight could not happen today, and once again we
stepped through.
I was glad to be back. Wait, I wasn't back. I was in his house! Where was
everyone else? Grrrrr...he tricked us! I could only hope they were safely back
in Nunverhill (well as safe as anyone could be there anyway). Everything here
was the same as when I remembered it last...only maybe a little more dust had
settled and no more then a few candles and lamps were lit. It was a little
disconcerting, and even more so when Diakaryu stepped out of the shadows to
confront me. He still had my friends, so that means they weren't safe. Crap! I
could take Diakaryu now, but that would mean my companions would most likely
never survive their ordeal. I know Diakaryu...he plans for things like
that...usually. He crept a little closer to me , and again he tried to make
small talk. I was no guest in him home, and I made it clear that I would not be.
He continued, ignoring me, and then suddenly, as if seeing me for the first
time, he stopped and said, "I don't like you in black." All I could do
was blink. I was totally speechless. Here I was, threatening him, and all he
could do was insult my ensemble. He even went so far as to offer to help me get
rid of it with a ritual or two! I wanted so badly to just end his life right
then and there, but instead, all I could do was stall and listen to him go on
and on about things of no consequence. Finally after what seemed an eternity, he
finally opened another portal and let me return. My companions were there as
well, safe and sound. So now it seems I begin to make new preparations...
9-3-601 (Monday)
Having been defeated so badly by Diakaryu in Baddira, I decided to head back to
the inn to regroup. Not because it's safe there (oh my no), but because I really
needed a big hug from Dusty and some play time in order to think. Well I got
back, but he wasn't there. I'm sure he was off doing more important things then
waiting on me. He's always doing neat stuff like that. So...what do I do now?
9-6-01 (Thursday)
Where is he? Dusty hasn't shown up yet and even Olven doesn't know where he is.
That's not like him at all. Usually he at least leaves a letter. I sure hope
he's ok. I better ask around...
9-10-601 (Monday)
The road did not seem my friend lately, so when I heard a rustling nearby as I
was out for a walk in the woods, I was a little more then wary, I was downright
paranoid. Thank goodness it turned out to only be Calypso. He was a fun guy too,
and so we sat for a while and talked of his recent trip to Ravenholt. It all
sounded fun and to the norm of what I would have expected, except for Davik. Now
that was a name I hadn't heard in a VERY long time...years in fact. The last
time I saw Davik was when Detrik was still Baron of Nunverhill and leader of
House Drake. Wow! He's still alive. I got all goose pimply. Davik was so neat,
and always so nice. In fact, I think I still have a letter from him that he
wrote. I would have to look through my things when I returned to the manor house
and see. How exciting, I can't wait to see him again!
9-12-601 (Wednesday)
I was laying in bed about to go to sleep when someone rapped on my door.
Okay...by now I was getting a little concerned about the number of people that
happened to visit me without notice. In fact, I'm thinking I might have to hire
someone to stand outside my door and make introductions. I really hate being
blown up and attacked when all I wanted was a nice quiet night relaxing. I got
up and walked to the door because, at this point I really didn't care anymore. I
was tired of fighting, so if they wanted to kill me...have at it. With a small
sigh I closed my eyes, grabbed the handle, and pulled the door open, expecting
the sword that would run me through or the spell that could do worse, but it
never came. I slowly opened one eye and then the other to see Dusty
standing there. Oh my gosh what a relief! It's not like me to have something
good happen very often, but I was thankful for this one! I had been so worried
that something bad had happened to him, and it hadn't.
I gave him a big welcome home hug and then let him in to talk. Of course, I took
up my normal position on the mattress as Dusty sat his gear don and got comfy as
well. He explained why he had been gone...sounded fun if you ask me. Wish I
could have been there. Mystery, intrigue, sneakiness... He always gets to do the
most fun stuff. Maybe I should visit Corvos more often...it would be fun to do
sneaky stuff with Dusty again.
9-16-601 (Sunday)
Dusty got back from his trip to Corvos today and he brought me a really neat
present. A big box of rocks and spiders...even some chocolate on the side for
dipping! And it wasn't even my birthday...in fact, his is soon...hmmm...I hope
he likes what I give him. Anyway, I told him I had planned to back to Nunverhill
in November, and asked him to come. He seemed a little reluctant at first (I
don't really blame...it is Nunverhill), but finally he agreed. Yay! I think he
had fun last time when Horatio was there, but I was sick so we really couldn't
play much. This time I don't plan to be sick, so it should be even better!
9-18-601 (Tuesday)
I ordered a new sword from one of Arainyn's blacksmiths a few weeks ago, and
it was just delivered today. Wow it's pretty...I can't wait to use it in Tyrengal
this weekend. It's probably the coolest weapon I've ever laid eyes on. Granted,
it doesn't do anything fancy, but that's ok...it's pretty.
9-20-01 (Thursday)
Tomorrow is Dusty's birthday and I have to leave. I hope he doesn't get mad, I
left his gift. It's just that Kiril is so worried about me with Diakaryu running
around. He's hoping that the leech won't bother me if he's there. I hope it
works...
9-28-601 (Friday)
I've been planning this trip to Tyrengal to visit my brothers for a while now,
and so when we arrived today, I was excited. Other then the humorous
stories Tinker entertained us with, our journey there was pretty uneventful, so
as soon as the wagon stopped, I was ready to leap out and stretch my legs.
Tinker was acting strange...and I mean even more odd then usual. talking with a
bad accent and calling himself Tinker McWillis. I tried to play it off, but then
Symkin or someone asked him why he was talking like that. Don't they realize
that you just ignore that sort of thing...? Anyway, he told us that he always
talks like that in his dreams, and that we were all a part of the dream sequence
he was ahving. Ummm...yeah... So...we
procured some lodging nearby, and quickly set off to meet the people and find
adventure! It didn't take long at all... As we left the tavern building to begin
our weekend, we saw a huge horde of green coming toward us...weapons raised in
the air and screaming. I honestly didn't know what they were as there were so
many, but they didn't look friendly, and seeing as how no one else was around, I
assumed they meant to attack us. I looked to Kiril and Max trying to determine
whether or not they meant to stand and fight. At that moment, they looked pretty
unsure themselves, and then I heard one of them begin casting...necromancy...
Again I looked to Kiril, yep...we were fighting now, and so I took up a
defensive stance alongside my friends. Tinker, I believe was the first to
attack, and his sword was almost a blur as he fought. Then the rush of creatures
was on us, and I joined in the fight as well. It didn't last very long and when
it was over I could see why...the ground was littered with tons of
bodies...goblin bodies. And for a moment, I had actually thought my life was in
danger.
We met a few people around town and even bumped into Alira. It seems she's a
Guild Mistress there now, and boy was she happy to see Kiril...very happy
indeed. She was showing us how she had learned to waylay creatures and even
tried it out on a few people to be funny. Kiril looked to me and I nodded,
taking up a position behind her. He tapped her lightly with his sword and as
soon as he did, I waylaid her. Once she woke up, she laughed that we had gotten
her back. At least she has a good sense of humor...and sportsmanship too,
because shortly after that she attempted to waylay me. I had no magical protectives
to stop it, so you should have seen her face when I didn't fall down, and then
specifically told her that she couldn't do that to me.
The rest of the night we spent running around the city trying to get in on the
end of the fights going on. The place is so big, that we always seemed to just
miss the excitement. Kiril, Max, and Tinker would always go running straight
into the battle swinging their weapons and hoping they could hit something
before it was over. I'm not a very fast runner, so I just trotted along behind
them with Symkin and Meissen. We hardly ever saw Rand, as he had found other
merchants in the area and immediately set off to do business with them. I met up
later with the gentleman that Booger had arranged to greet me. Fortunately, he
was staying with Jackson, and so I was finally able to spend a few moments with
my brother before he had to venture off to his business dealings as well. The
rest of the night was pretty much the same, running from fight to fight trying
to get there, and so I quickly tired. Eventually, we all left Rand to his
trading (seeing as how we couldn't find him anyway), and snuggled into our beds.
It seemed odd having no ward to protect us...something weird with the magics
there, but having everyone else there made me feel safe enough...well except for
Max. He insisted on hanging his hammock right over my bed, and I was sure that
after a few hours of swinging up there, he'd come crashing down on me. This,
however, was not the case, and believe it or not, I slept more soundly that
night then I believe I had in a long time.
9-29-601 (Saturday)
I woke before anyone else the next morning, as is usually the case, and stepped
outside to stretch and take in the new day. It seemed a shame to waste the hours
sleeping as my friends were, so I spent the time playing and enjoying the warmth
of the sun. The chilly night had left my muscles a bit sore, so it felt good
being outside. I found a stream nearby, and after bathing and grooming, I
finally returned to the cabin and joined up with my friends, just as they were
getting up and dressing. After strapping on shields and gathering up weapons, we
headed out to see what we could find. Not too much seemed to be troubling the
town this day...a few more groups of goblins, but that was really it. We did,
however, come upon a man whose bred had been stolen...by goblins, go
figure...and so wanting something to do, we set off to find the offender. Not
far down the path, we encountered these bandits and attempted to gain the bread
back without a fight, but sadly, they had eaten it already. This was the part
where we wanted to just ask for some type of recompense. In fact, Kiril even
managed to befriend one of the creatures. The others, however, didn't like us at
all, and using their tiny swords, forced us to dispatch them. Sad really...I
never found bread to be
worth my life, but then they were goblins. Maybe they thought their lives were. We
sadly gave the single goblin left our condolences, and seeing as how he had
nowhere left to go, Kiril offered him a place within the ranks of his army. I
never did find out his name, but the goblin agreed, and told us he would meet up
with us later after the gathering. Neat hunh?
When we returned to the tavern, one of the counts assistants asked us to help
her gather some food for dinner later. There was nothing else to do, so we
agreed and I left with Max to go find the rest of our group. Halfway to our
place of lodging I got the feeling we were being followed. Apparently Max did
too, because we both turned to look behind us at that same moment, and sure
enough, there was a large Mystic Wood Elf jogging down the path after us. I had
remembered seeing this man around town, but did not know him, and so I gripped
my sword a little tighter...just in case. We held our ground as he slowed to
stop in front of us. Then, without introduction, he told me that Jackson had
sent him to meet me, saying he should get to know me. I grinned then, as I knew
exactly who he was...Chance! My other Willis brother. He smiled back when I said
his name and nodded. Woohoo! I found another brother! We invited him to come
along with us and after getting everyone else, we returned to the count's
assistant. She told us what she was looking for, as far as food went, and after
giving us an idea of where we might possibly find these beasts, we set off to
get dinner. She had been right, and we found several LARGE boar to bring back.
There were other LARGE things there, such as scorpions and spiders (which I
nibbled on), but it was the boar we brought back. I think this was when we told
Tinker to stop thinking so big in his dreams. He was making everything huge!
First there was Max...enough said, and then Tinker's ears were HUGE, these
animals were HUGE, and even Meissen seemed more HUGE!
We returned to town with the boars, and settled down for a bite to eat. There were rumors of a big vampire guy
(much bigger then Diakaryu) showing up and two large groups of undead called the
Harbingers. Needed all our strength for that, and for the bonding ritual we
were going to do, we munched down our food. Max said the bonding ritual wasn't magical,
and that all it consisted of was really learning more about each other so that we would be protected from the
vampires
charming abilities. Since it wasn't magical in nature I was more then happy to
try it out. I just wish they had told me that Meissen was going to kill me doing
it. I mean, there I was, minding my own business, waiting on Meissen to return
from some errand, and I felt something scrape half my back off. My friends were
all standing there though, s o in a sort of shock, I turned to see Meissen, in his
dragon form, just as he ripped my head off...or at least I think he ripped it
off. His claw was paused in midair and then as it came down straight at my
head, everything went black. So I think it's safe to assume he tore my head off.
Anyway, when I finally gained consciousness, I could hear
the sound of fighting, and so slowly I opened my eyes to see most of my friends,
including Meissen, fallen on the ground. As I raised my head to get a grasp of
the situation, I could see Kiril fending off Symkin. I watched, to stunned to
move, and then suddenly the gypsy
actually landed a blow. I could only assume that Kiril had been gravely
wounded before because that one hit sent him falling to the ground. There was no
way I could lay there and watch my friends die, so I jumped up to finish the
betrayer... Symkin. He seemed surprised at my actions...well yeah, he thought I
was dead! But after one or two hits, I slowed my
swings to watch as the others got up and motioned for me to stop. Now it was my
turn to be amazed. I thought I was gonna pee my pants. They were all okay. I
stopped, and they explained that this had all been part of the
bonding ritual. Next time they should just
tell me these thing ya know...and maybe find a way to go about it without
ripping half my skull off.
The ritual over, we headed over to the large field where the Harbingers were
supposed to arrive, and thus this vampire guy as well. The nobility in town were
gathered around the area trying to do rituals. I told them to stop, but as
usual, no one listened, and so I spent most of my time standing a half mile away with Max until
they stopped. After they were done hurting people with their evil rituals, Max
and i wandered back toward them and talked for several hours with the people who stayed behind.
It seems that these Harbinger guys are not very punctual. They were, in fact, several
hours late, and to pass the time
we ended up playing Dwarven pony races with Tinker and having Baddiran circle
fights. I even found a new hobling to collect! He was pretty nice, and said I
could keep him, so now i have another powerful hobling...bringing my total up to
4!
Finally after hours and hours and hours and hours of waiting, the Harbingers
arrived. I was a little shocked at the sheer number of undead that came rolling
across the field toward us and at first I could do nothing but stand there and
watch as the adventurers fought them off. It was only when I had to actually
defend myself that I was able to shake myself out of the stupor. Then it was all
I could do to stay alive. I looked for the others as I fought, and could make
out Tinker...Tinker! He was in his wereraccoon form...cool... Once in a
while I saw Kiril and Max as they plowed through the skeletons rushing toward
them. Meissen was standing off to the side playing king of the hill with any
undead who dared approach him, and I continued to fight. Eventually the
abominations of chaos slowed their attacks, and I saw the townspeople standing
in a circle. I asked them what they were doing and why they were not helping us
fight. Ok...get this...they were guarding a rock...A ROCK!!! Oh come on people.
I like rocks too, but you're using about 50 people to guard it against undead.
OH MY GOSH! Find another pretty rock. And how in the world is the Dame investing
her...invest? AHHHHH...RITUAL! And so I ran down the hill into the middle of the
undead, because it was just safer there then it was with the rituals and
the special rock! I took out my anger on the walking bones there and that's when
I saw him...the vampire. Geez, these guys are everywhere! I watched as the few townspeople
not guarding the rock attacked him. They didn't seem to be doing much, except
chasing him in my direction, and so I had to take up the fight as well. It was
only for a moment though as he went gaseous and floated away. I hate it when
they do that! At least the bonding ritual worked, that was a relief. By now, the
undead had scattered and apparently the rock was safe...oh goodie, so I
meandered around collecting my friends and making sure they were all there and
well. Max and Meissen had business to discuss with some individuals and Kiril
wanted to wander off and play with his new friends, so Tinker, Symkin, and I
headed back to the cabin to get some shuteye. It had been a long day...
9-30-601 (Sunday)
Several hours into the wee bit of the morning, I was awakened by Max and Kiril
as they stormed into the cabin making all kinds of racket. Now granted, I was
not in a good mood because of this, and because I had been worried sick about
them when they hadn't shown up earlier, and I let them know it. My concern and
anger turned to distress though as they recounted the tale that had befallen
them that night. The vampire had captured Meissen and was going to obliterate
him. At this point, I was merely happy to see I was not in a circle, which meant
they had beaten their foe and saved Meissen. And as if on cue, my dragon/hobling
walked in joking and laughing with Rand as if nothing had happened. I asked him
about this, and told me the same story that Max had, only from his point of
view, and seeing that no one was missing and we were all safe again, I snuggled
up with blankets and covered my head while Max climbed into his hammock. I
swear, one of these days he's gonna drop right down on my noggin and kill me.
Sleep overtook me after only a few moments, and nothing more disturbed me until
the sun rose in the morning. With most of the foes vanquished for now, and the
much needed work done, everyone gathered at the tavern to pat each other on the
back for jobs well done, shake hands and bid each other farewell. My brothers
were really the only ones I would miss from Tyrengal, but they had said their
goodbyes with promises of visiting soon, and so we set off to get Kiril's goblin
friend before returning to Baddira. The scene we came upon when we arrived at
the spot chosen by the goblin was horrific. He was not there...well he was, but
not in one piece. In fact, it appeared his entrails were ripped out and formed
into some sort of word. I don't know what it said as my stomach told me to to
stare to long, and seeing as how I really didn't care, I never bothered to ask
the others. I was just ready to get back and leave this place.