Mirava's Journal
This weathered journal contains several dated entries penned in a plain, functional script. Notes are scribbled along the sides, and a few maps and rough sketches are present on some pages.
Silverton
Avalon
Paws
Jhelom
Paws
Return to Avalon
Paws
Ogres in a Mine
On the road to Silverton, our party encountered a well-armed group of soldiers. Their leader, a distraught merchant by the name of Yorick, explained that ogres had ransacked a caravan of his and taken several captives -- including his niece. He asked for our aid, and added that he was wealthy enough to compensate us for the effort. We agreed to help him.
We tracked the ogres to an abandoned mine nearby. A few of the creatures were outside the cave, but we quickly dispatched them. Exploration of the cavern revealed captives were chained to a forge, harassed by more ogres. We also encountered Umber Hulks.
We freed the hostages, then Valicus, Marcel, and myself proceeded to accompany the hostages to the entrance while Suraliha and Robert checked for any further threats. Apparently there were none, but the Hulk's digging had unearthed some sort of tomb.
Inside, we found an urn of ashes, and a stone box carved with writing, with an ornate sword within. Examining the swordbox posed no problem, but touching the urn resulted in a loud, painful shout in some sort of Goblin language. It was a swear, of sorts. "Thief", "betrayer", "bastard" or the like.
The writing on the box was Valicus was later able to translate it to, "Here is the tool of Yeverex. Let him take it on his great journey and let him bless us, his kin, when he reaches its end." The sword bore the inscription: "Strike ever true against the ancient foe" and "the force and the hope of we the people of this kin”. The urn, as can be expected, was revealed as the remains of Yeverex.
Avalon – The Sword of Yeverex
After Yorick’s hospitality (and reward), we headed to Avalon to research the sword we had discovered. Robert and Valicus went to the academy in the city and spoke with a scholar named Susanna, a member of the Green Apples, and known for her research on various things. Through the use of spells, she was able to again find the writing on the box: “Here is the tool of Yeverex. Let him take it on his great journey and let him bless us, his kin, when he reaches its end.” She was also able to decipher the runes on the sword: "Strike ever true against the ancient foe." and "The force and the hope of we, the people of this kinship."
However, Susanna could not tell us who Yeverex was. Nor could she identify what sort of foe the blade was enchanted against. She did not know if it was a monster, a specific person, or a group of people. She also did not know what sort of metal the blade was made of. She expressed interest in an excavation. However, in order to arrange anything, we would need some money.
Fortunately, or perhaps –unfortunately-, we ran into two mages trying to hire adventurers. After finishing our obligations to the magi, the party returned to Susanna. She told us what she could, and recommended a Jhelhomian smith named Vikram, who might be able to identify the metal the blade was crafted of. We made plans to travel there.
Along the way, we heard rumors of goblins in the hills. Something was chasing them out of the higher country, resulting in more confrontations with townsfolk.
While camping, we encountered some of the goblins, and I questioned them. I managed to decipher that they were running from something gray-skinned and tall. The group we talked with contained several wounded members, a strange thing for a goblin band. In my experience, goblins tend to only take the strongest of their numbers on raids. Though weakened, they outnumbered us. While I would have estimated our chances of victory to be decent, I thought it best to prevent an altercation and simply gave them food so they would leave.
We continued onward toward Paws. There, we found a strange militia.The presence of an armed band was curious, and we (or, at least Marcel and myself) were interested in investigating.
After our explorations, we continued to the city of Jhelom.
Avalon – Magical Rivalry
While in the Adventurer's Guild in Avalon waiting for Robert and Valicus to return from Susanna’s
, I approached a man named Pascal, who was apparently a mage. He wanted us to enter a particular tower belonging to his master, another magician by the name of Kell. An emotional sort, Pascal was initially suspicious of Valicus, and seemed paranoid that we were under the control of his rival.
His rival, Ismene, also wanted us to enter the tower, but she claimed it was for the sake of protecting Kell. She also had a rather remarkable way of viewing the world... namely that everyone was only out for their own selfish ends, so her own selfish purposes were justified.
Through some convoluted circumstances (mostly thanks to Marcel...), the group ended up playing the two mages off each other. We were to meet Pascal at the tower, while Marcel distracted Ismene.
We managed to break into the tower, in spite of an elemental creature barring the way. The guardian out of the way, we made our way to the top and discovered Kell's body. He had apparently suffered a fatal magical accident.
Ismene and Marcel arrived not long after. A confrontation between Pascal and Ismene ensued. Through this, it was discovered that Ismene had allegedly found Kell's body, and wanted to loot the tower before anyone else came to claim it. Pascal wanted to protect Kell's reputation, and continue his research.
Eventually, the mages were calmed, and it was decided that since Ismene only wanted loot, and Pascal wanted the tower, they would each get a share. Marcel was able to distract Pascal from revenge by coming up with some plot involving the Society of Sacrifice.
For our trouble, we were given rooms to stay in temporarily and a portion of the discovered relics. I suppose that it worked out for the best, even if it was not to my liking. Though I find I've acquired a distaste for magi, at least Pascal got what he wanted. His goals seemed the nobler of the two, even if he may be deluded as to reason of Kell's death. And working for the magi gave us a way to finance a possible future excavation, and discover more about the sword.
Matthew’s Excavation
We left the town of Avalon after consulting with Susanna. Vikram was apparently a swordsmith of some renown, and he resided in a city known for its arms.
As we passed the town of Paws, however, we noticed two ships were moored at the docks: the Perspicacity and the Endurance. They had been carrying heavy cargo, roughly 500 men and women, and sailed under an unusual banner which none of the party could identify: red, with a heart, tear, and dagger surrounded by stylistic vines. Marcel suspected it might be affiliated with the Society of Sacrifice.
The unidentified militia with the unusual banner had apparently assisted the locals by directing them how to build some fortifications. However, after unloading the ships, they marched off into the highlands east of town.
Seeing armed troops in a mining town was unusual. While goblins would have made a likely motive for the stationing of troops, the goblin problem had been dealt with before the militia had arrived. Curious too was the fact the militia did not seem interested in spending much time in Paws. Questioning locals did not yield much information.
After a few preparations, we trailed the militia. Because of their numbers, it was not difficult to follow their tracks. Even if they had wanted to hide, their numbers made it virtually impossible.
They made camp in a hanging valley due east of Paws. In order to gain entrance, Marcel put on an act of being a travelling musician, and we were able to enter their camp. Or... to be more accurate, we were taken to their camp, and made to speak with their captain, a veteran named Matthew.
The captain struck me as a straight-forward individual. Before he would answer any of our questions, he wanted to know whether we were working for anyone. Once we explained we were not anyone's employ, he explained that his group was exploring ruins.
He offered us work with his group. I suspect that if we had agreed, we might have had access to more information. However, Marcel seemed interested in exploring on our own. While not the optimal course of action, I believe it was the better course. Even if I had a good impression of Matthew, if we allied with him, we would have been at the command of the mysterious people who had hired him.
Something struck me as odd, however... As we left the tent, Matthew gave the sword Robert carried an odd look. I suppose I might have said something about it, but I admit I felt hesitant about confronting the captain. I was unwilling to draw more attention to the sword, especially as Matthew was working for an unknown society.
Another part of the valley contained a cave. There were guards posted, but they appeared to be guarding from something inside, rather than preventing others from entering it. This did not prevent them from restricting our entrance, however. We decided to explore further up the mountain. While we discovered another cavern, it was small. And aside from noises as we advanced further into the cave, there was nothing of note.
We came back down and Marcel tried to put on the "whimsical curious bard" act in an attempt to again gain entrance to the cavern. However, they were not interested. In fact, one of them ordered a guard to break Marcel's psaltry. Things got... a bit tense, and we decided it was probably best for us to leave.
While our little excursion did not turn up much of note, at least our questions were mostly answered. We did find out that the group was looking for antiquities, and because of their activities, it is highly likely they are involved with the Society of Sacrifice.
We continued toward Jhelom.
Jhelom Coup
We entered the city in the late afternoon. Our first concern was locating an inn where we could stay for the night. After following a tout and spending few hours of dubious cleanliness (and even more dubious safety) in a dilapidated inn, we returned to the street to search for another place to spend the night.
Luck was on our side. A passing cavalcade of warriors paraded by, impressive in spite of the rain. Marcel, in his manner, played out a welcoming tune, the skill of which caught the notice of the leader of the aforementioned procession, Prince Celestyn. As it turned out, Celestyn was having a gathering of some sort, and Marcel's skills would be welcome. We would be able to spend the night at the prince's residence. As can be expected, the night passed comfortably.
The next morning, before the party, we spoke with the smith Vikram about the sword we had found in the mine. We left the sword with him temporarily, and he said he would contact us when he had information. We also met once again with Prince Celestyn. We were taken to his study, another remarkably impressive room containing a detailed tiled floor map of Britannia. He and the others bantered lightly, and the prince asked us all whether we were friends. It was an odd phrasing, but after his generosity, it would have been rude of us to say no.
Preparations for the party took up most of the rest of the day, though personal meetings took place and continued nearly until the first guests began to arrive.
Prince Celestyn drew the attention of his guests, and directed their attention toward a particular doorway. After making a speech about the glory of Jhelom and what it was missing, he said he would go on a quest. Whatever he was doing did not please princess Veronika. She declared some sort of vendetta against Celestyn and his allies. However, Celestyn continued with his plans, and disappeared through the doorway, along with his retainers Dominic and Stanislaw.
Needless to say, the party was effectively over.
A certain "Julia" was at the party as well. I remembered her voice from the Green Jug, an inn I had "scouted", and I knew she had brought the horse for Celestyn, but I did not know how involved she was in what had happened. After Celestyn's... disappearance, I felt some investigation was in order. As it turned out, so did she. She wanted more information about Celestyn in order to protect her employer's or patron's investment, and as I doubted I could prevent her from investigating, I agreed to accompany her in order to keep an eye on what she was doing.
We... discreetly gained access to the prince's study when we encountered others who had been in the room before we entered. We killed the first one, and pursued the second on the roof before the guards were alerted. I shot him in the lower back, which would have been a paralyzing shot, but he leaped off the roof and turned into an owl, still carrying whatever he may have taken. Radha and I lost sight of it/him soon after it flew toward the main city.
Valicus questioned the dead thief, Richard, and discovered that he had been working for a Count Simon, a partisan of Prince Kazimierz. Sir Ector, Celestyn's acting seneschal, requested help in investigating the matter. Since Ector could not risk a siege, it was decided that we would "investigate" further under the cover of darkness the next night. However, Count Simon was waiting for us. He was not willing to negotiate, and we had to overcome him by force. However, we managed to retrieve the documents (a historical account of King Karol, the first king of Jhelom), and returned the documents to Ector.
The next morning, after visiting Vikram's shop at Twelve Trees Square for information on the sword, we encountered Alojzy, called the Stormbreaker. He challenged us, claiming that we had insulted his lord, Count Simon. We engaged him and his comrades, and managed to disable all but the magus himself, but Robert was heavily wounded. After downing Robert, Alojzy called out for a truce, claiming that those who caused insult had been punished. Though I was loathe to simply let him be, it was clear the mage was capable of killing Robert if we continued the fight. We agreed to stop the battle, and we collected our wounded.
Valicus was able to somewhat restore Robert, but it was clear we needed to return to Celestyn's residence. As we approached, servants ran out to meet us. The doorway was glowing, they said. We did not have to wait very long to find out what was happening. Within moments, Celestyn, Stanislaw, and Dominic appeared.
The returnees appeared mostly well, but changed by their ordeal. Though the changes the others carried were less observable, Dominic's eye was... unusual. However, any questions remaining to be asked would have to wait until another day.
The next few days were spent in research, either in the library, or exploration. We learned of an author named Celso, who may have detailed some metal-boned creatures. I also discovered Alozjy had a captive, though I could not follow the magus without being detected. The biggest issue, however, was to come a few days later.
After a few days recovery, Celestyn collected all of his allies for another gathering. This one, however, was of the militant kind. The gates of Jhelom would be taken. Once they were under Celestyn's command, he would effectively control the city. And as the sun set, Celestyn's army advanced through the city.
My companions and I, however, did not follow. We set out on explorations after the army had left. We left Celestyn’s residence to explore the city, but ended up encountering Veronica’s troops. We tried to take refuge in an inn, but we were captured and brought before Princess Veronica. Not much of consequence was said, but an odd person with a robe of swords was present. We were then imprisoned in the basement of an inn. We escaped the inn thanks to Valicus' magic, and managed to make our way back to Celestyn’s -- but without our horses, unfortunately.
Borrowing horses from Celestyn's stables (without telling the stablemaster we were unlikely to return them), we made our way to the north gate to inform Celestyn of our departure, and inform him of Veronica’s position by the southern gate. He seemed dismayed by the news of the sword-robed man though he could tell us little about the cult the man belonged to. Whoever they were, they apparently opposed Karol as well.
After we spoke briefly (and asked whether we could have the horses), Celestyn moved his troops forward, and we again stayed behind.
We returned to the prince’s residence in an attempt to summon Karol and see if the ancient king had any information on the sword cult, but the summoning was unsuccessful. Something supernatural opposed Valicus’ efforts. We explored the town hall, however, remembering that it appeared to be a temple of some sort.
We discovered a secret passage within the building, found robes, and concealed ourselves among the sword cultists. They were aware of Valicus’ attempts, and started a ritual to punish those responsible. Marcel was able to disrupt their chanting, however, and we made our escape.
As we fled, the walls of Jhelom began to glow, and magical forces lit up the sky. Valicus suggested once again that we ride north, so we rode through the gate, in spite of my hesitance to leave.
Przemsyl and his men waited outside the gate. He must have been waiting for something like this to happen. We retreated back inside the city. About 5 of his men were able to follow us into the gate before it was again closed. They were stopped, and one captured.
We headed toward the dock gate, but not before discovering Kazimierz' troops. We told Dominic, and rode with his troops toward the dock gate. We managed to make it past the gate to the ship Marcel had arranged our passage on. From there, we sailed to Paws before continuing to Avalon.
Before we returned to Avalon, we decided to stop by Matthew's camp once more. This time, we accepted Matthew's offer of employment and were able to enter the cave. They had been having trouble with a strange race of goblins, these ones taller and gray-skinned.
Their armor was more advanced than anything I had seen their green-skinned cousins use, and they bore a strange emblem, a violet closed fist on black... Valicus' family symbol.
We were able to get the assistance of several Forgeborn, and we began to explore the cavern. We got deeper into the mountain until we came to a strange room with a pillar. There we were discovered by 4 of the gray skinned "high goblins". I was able to speak with them, though their dialect was unusual. They seemed to think the Forgeborn were the "servants of the children of their enemies", yet did not consider humans to be the servants of the children of their enemies. It was unclear what they were referring to.
It -is- apparent that they were familiar with Yeverex.
We were able to report back to Matthew with the new information, but it is not known yet whether any diplomacy is possible with them at this time.
The Fate of the Sword & Council Espionage
Our return to Avalon yielded few answers. In order to receive answers about the sword, we would have to deliver it to Society of Sacrifice. There would be little guarantee we would get it back, if ever. It was as Susanna had suggested. We decided to keep the sword.
The scholar was not terribly pleased by our associating with the Society, as it turned out. However, she had still managed to find a possible patron. As it turned out, it was Robert's long-lost brother Arthur. They did not appear to be on friendly terms with each other. Arthur did not appear to be on friendly terms with us either, especially after Marcel leaked the information of our somewhat-secret meeting to Robert. However, we still seem to have an arrangement, and after our month of service to Matthew, we may be ready to excavate. Arthur seems willing to finance such an operation in exchange for a portion of whatever is found.
In the meanwhile, Marcel found us some work with the help of his... friend Ismene. She was involved in guild elections, and wanted our assistance. After she promised us payment, and the possibility of future assistance, we agreed (sort of) to work with her. After some "research", we managed to find some information that may be of some use. However, it has yet to be seen what will be done with said information.
We (or rather Marcel) spoke to Hugo, Captain of the Guard, who did not seem to have a very positive opinion of Joseph Cadarino. He did, however, seem very interested in the information we had to offer him. Later that evening, he did accost Cadarino.
We attempted to speak to Celia Blake, but not even Marcel's powers of self-promotion were able to get us an audience with her. Another method will obviously have to be tried.
Meanwhile, something else of note occurred... A group of southerners, bearing familiar banners headed north. They were last spotted between Broadford and Paws.
I hope we will have time enough to meet with Matthew before then, and fulfill our contract.
The Trouble with Ismene
An innocent comment about Marcel's gregariousness led to us going to Pascal. A magical examination uncovered that something was amiss. Pascal seemed... upset about it, and we were unable to gain more information from him. However, his examination did leave us with a question: Was Marcel being controlled by Ismene?
Marcel himself did not want to believe it, and in spite of our attempts to convince him to wait before running off to Ismene... he ran off to Ismene. We had to stop him through force, an action which undoubtedly affects the unity of our group.
The rest of us decided it best to leave Avalon as soon as possible, to return to Matthew to finish our contract, and to perhaps lessen the influence Ismene has on Marcel. At the present, it is unclear what sort of control she has over him, or whether Marcel is genuinely devoted to her. However, it is clear that it is an issue that will affect future dealings with her.
Old "Friends"...
Several of our old Jhelomian "friends" have taken up residence in Paws. Count Simon was there, apparently, along with the Stormbreaker and Veronika's representative Lady Samara. Some sort of watchtower may be constructed in the future...
Return to Matthew’s Excavation
We arrived at Matthew's camp to find that things had not gone well for the excavators. The gray goblins, or high goblins as I had come to call them, seemed to have been disturbed by the presence of the army in the foothills. Perhaps fearing attack, they renewed their aggressions on the camp, killing the captain of the forgeborn.
The other forgeborn were understandably shaken by the death of their leader. They had not thought that they -could- in fact die. Much like adventurers, I suppose. At any rate, Valicus was able to counsel them, and they seemed less pained by it... though admittedly, I am no expert on forgeborn moods.
Because of the poor morale, and the bleakness of the situation, we promised to find an alternate trail and return with reinforcements.
Reinforcements
We spoke with Thomas Lyndon, and were told to wear a red flower. Though we let Marcel be the only one to wear one, the deal still went through. Lyndon arrived a few days later.