DJAREL'S JOURNAL + LEIF'S DRAWING RE: SESSION 13

Djarel's Journal - 17th of the Hummingbird

I don't remember much of my time spent in Avalon. Amadi tells me that I drank some green beer and fell asleep... Before I passed out,  I vaguely remember the smokey elf insulting an mustachioed woman. The offer of the cosmetics book yielded no useful information about the town. Amadi than spoke with the old tavern keep who spoke of the haunted house in Avalon. The old man said that he had heard noises coming from the haunted place and had seen people come and go from there only on seldom occasion. Of those who visited the old house fewer still emerged but of those who did seemed to be burdened with heavy coin-purses which was a boon for the Smoking Leprechaun.

I woke up around 11 AM between the shoulders of the Wild Wizard and the Smokey Elf. They let me know that Avalon does not have a blacksmith and gave me the details of the Haunted House as I have described above. After a short while I regained my footing and I was happy to know that we where heading back towards Crackenmore after we regrouped at the Hollow Tree. Just before arriving at our new refuge the Telal and the Smokey Elf noticed some bodies on the ground up ahead. Upon closer inspection they appeared to be the groundhog men that we had read about in Talbot's journal. Telal helped himself to a small coin purse and a hempen necklace adorned with little sharp teeth. With nothing left to do for the groundhogmen and not wanting to wait for there companions to find us near their bodies we made haste for the Hollow Tree.

Amadi and the Smoking Elf had time to interpret the words which came from the dying eight eye and lead us to the statue chamber with a purpose. Leif wrapped the small statue on ground and then we stood in silence for a moment. Shortly after the Wild wizard Amadi rapped his staff hard upon one of the statues and suddenly an owl spirit appeared in a small alcove near by. After shouting at the owl Leif was eventually able to get it to speak. The spirit knew of Eric Talbot as it had been watching this portion of Hollow Tree since its beginning. Talbot resided here with five companions, and from here they waged their war as crayfishmen against the groundhogmen until one day they all did not return, and curiously enough Talbot himself left without his armor. Soon the spirit became weary and was unable to provide useful answers to our inquires.

 "I am not a teacher. I am a teller," said the owl.

After ending our conversation with the owl spirit, we took on the mindset of turning Hollow Tree into a home and set to work putting the interior in order. I headed to the 8 eye lair and began preparing a holy place for the Dawnbringer while the Smoking Elf repaired the stairway and Telal reset the wrecking ball trap as well as the statue room trap. The altar was made from three large stones that I found within the Hollow tree to form a sort of small bench where upon I burned the body of the 8 eye and the winged needles and Dawnbringer was pleased and blessed my faith with magical knowledge. When there is time I shall add wildflowers, tulips, and skulls to the altar. Later on in the evening, the Wild wizard called us around the fire and there he shared with us a wonderful tome which made us all feel much wiser and now we sit in wonderment and are sharing some of his smoke.

Praise be to the Dawnbringer for this blessed day.

JOURNAL ENTRY FROM DJAREL RE: SESSION 12

Sixteenth of the Hummingbird

The Dawnbringer looks upon me in Avalon this morning. Through the
strength of my ancestor's Hammer, Kumiss, we have laid flat a mighty
foe. I have tasted the blood of the monstrous 8 eye [there appears a
dark brownish/green stain in the journal after this sentence which one
could logically assume is spider blood]. The 8 eye leaked magic
words after its death and the smokey elf seemed to understand them.
There was great treasure in the lair of the 8 eye. More sun colored
metal than I have ever seen. The party has decided to keep the
treasure here and create a home for ourselves. If this be so then the
hollow tree will need an altar to the Dawnbringer. When I return I
will plant the tulips and flowers about the entrance and prepare the
remains of the 8 eye and the flying needles as burnt offerings to
please the Dawnbringer. It has been so long since I have prepared a
holy altar for the Dawnbringer. Tulips, skulls, and oh, how I love smell
of burning evil in the morning.

Taking control of the hollow tree was no easy task. Through the
greatness of my companions we over came many perilous encounters.
Early in the hollow tree the weight of my spirit caused me to fall
through an old set of stairs and if not for the wild wizard's quick
thinking, I would have been overwhelmed by alligators. The wild
wizard's control over the minds of alligators and dogmen has been a
great boon. Later, when I was blessed to find a fine set of plate
armor within the hollow tree, Telal the Cold spotted a trip wire
within the room before I walked into disaster.

For although I was looking forward to a great battle against the
owlbear, the wild wizard and the smokey elf were wise to steer us
towards leaving the beast as a guardian. The smokey elf has also
gained my favor. He has shown his strength by absorbing the wrecking
ball trap, both the Dawnbringer and I are pleased with the smokey elf.
It is also good that we found the armored female within the hollow
tree. She seems to get along with the group well enough. Let her
mend the wounds of our companions, so that I can spend my energy
making wounds in our enemies.

Last evening, while the wild wizard got into his books,  I showed
Telal the orcish custom of taking the poison sacs from the great 8
eyes. He slid his dagger up the hollow fangs and into the creatures head
with as much ice in his veins as any of my orcish brothers. By
wrapping the poison sacs inside the mucus filled stomach of the spider
and then in a scrap of fresh skin from the stirges the poison should
hold until he can find a proper container. Even our more powerful
enemies can be brought low by 8 eye venom. I hope Telal will be
pleased with this gift.

As we set off this morning, away from our troubles in Talbot, we came
across a horse drawn peddler who sold me some smokables that I will
gift to the Dawnbringer. The wild wizard purchased a particularly
potent form of the herb after considerable debate on the price among
the companions.

I have but one order of business in Avalon: to find an armorer to fit
the plate mail for me. Afterwards, I pray that we can get back to the
business of Crackenmore and search for more clues. I am grateful to
the Dawnbringer for our success this far, but everyday I feel my
ancestor's spirit dwindling like sand in my fist until his remains
rest inside the Barrow of the Rising Sun.

I have so many questions left unanswered... How did my grandfather, a
great cleric, become a slave in Crackenmore? Who was the man in the
red vest with the orcs in my dream?

I will dig deep this day and call upon the Dawnbringer to guide me
through the spell of Tongues.

Djarel

AMADI SENDS LETTER VIA GRIFFON EXPRESS RE: SESSION 12

LETTER TO KORUN (FORMER MENTOR)

Korun,

It has been months since I left Furthermoor City. My journey has been difficult, but recently it has turned for the better. After weeks of traveling by night and sleeping in the wilderness to avoid the patrols, I made it to Talbot. There I met some fellow travelers who did not instantly see me as a servant. We have spent this last week seeking our fortune. Talbot is not unlike Furthermoor City, filled with corruption and ignorance, but no one here knows me or my past. My band of misfits have just killed a giant spider and gained more gold than I have ever seen! But gold is not what I seek; I have recently gained knowledge from the family who pioneered this township many years ago. I pray this knowledge will help me realize my destiny and reunite me with my family. Please send them my regards and let them know I will see them soon.

Amadi


*Griffon icon is lifted from a place in Virginia.

SESSION 10 - LEIF MAKES LIKE A TREE & LEAVES AN EMAIL ON SOME ARMOR

SESSION 9 - THE CONFESSIONS OF DJAREL

From the Journal of Djarel...

Foolish of me to stand before both of the abominations at once. The scars will help me remember this lesson. Blessed be the Dawnbringer to let me see the sunrise again and for her I will not let this lesson go unlearned. I still feel my rib floating... I do not wish to be a burden on my companions but I will not be able to swing my hammer with sureness until my injuries are healed. I am grateful to my new found friends for bringing me out of the thieves den. I must trust my companions and err on the side of caution.

I miss the clear skies of  Debthaven. It is always grey and dark here in Talbot which makes me feel that much farther from the Temple of the Dawn-bringer. Kumis... guide me to my grandfather's bones and help me return them to the Rising sun Barrows... Kumis keep my companions safe from that which harrows us.

I will pray to the Dawnbringer for healing...

-D

SESSION 9 - LEIF'S LETTER (TO LUCIUS?)

Dear L,

The blasted undead have almost taken one of us to the depths. Of all the creatures, it is they who confound me most—these abominations that haunt Wild Earth surely risen from the egos of craven gods.

Dginger lies in recovery. We dragged his limp body from the thieves guild. None can say we were blameless. Our own egos—his most of all—whispering in our ears to stuff our pockets when they were already bulging. I admit, my own head was ringing with the thought. I was naked but for my clothes, wanting revenge for those who robbed and tied me.

I wanted my White Knife back; my skull pipe with mouthpiece worn to my lips. But at what cost? I whispered to myself; perhaps audibly to my companions, “Let us stop now. We can buy 50 knives; 40 pipes. Let us consider ourselves lucky, and ascend from this dark place.” But whispers are whispered; they are not heard when blood is pounding. No longer can my indecision allow the loudest to prevail.

I was blinded by conceit. I carry the weight of this. I pray to Obad for strength to guide our young and eager party with a thoughtful and strong voice. I pray to Ehlenestra to restore my friends—to ease the half-orc’s pain, to focus the dwarf’s concentration, to soothe our Gnolls as they lick their wounds. We have been lucky; we will not last on luck.

-LTR

RE: MOOR'S END - 1 - GILEEGAN WRITES IN

There has been much speculation in town whether I would be a worthy successor to me Pops, Gilagan. Most of that talk is how I will surpass him as a spender of gold and smoker of smokeweed and nothing else. So when the FAE popped into town with a request to aid a lady cleric in finding some sort of diamond encrusted artifact I jumped at the chance to prove those bastards wrong and get my hands on some lovelies (I am of course referring to the golden, bejeweled, and fair haired variety). We had just had a jaunt around a war torn hill that netted me a little gold and less notoriety. The worst part was that the only damsels were a pair of wrinkled witches who only wanted to take our hard earned gold for some conversation! So I entered the carriage with a tall and serious fellow named Devedos. He only wanted to speak of righteousness and helping others and obviously had no gold to steal but he was not an unpleasant chap and treated me quite nicely. Upon arrival we met Mattie the Mournful. Such a sad and delicate pale flower! She relayed to us her plight and I knew this was going to be a fun little excursion, the hill could wait. We also managed to pick up a stowaway neanderthal, he was this strong simple minded fellow who aided us on the hill and was no doubt looking for adventure as well. Our first outing was nothing short of comical. The townspeople, although hospitable, were strange. The owner of the local store was trying to sell us what he called an orc grenade which contained the remains of an orc child. How it actually worked was beyond me but if I had some extra gold I would like try it! We picked up a mage named Renfro at the local pub and headed out to the caves to seek out the item Mattie so desperately sought. The caves were dark and smelled like rotten flesh and soon we found the reason why. We were set upon by some giant rats...ugh. One of the creatures bit me on the shoulder, I could smell it's rank breath as it sank it's teeth into me. I nearly passed out from the pain but I managed to push it off of me. My companions managed to dispatch of the rest of the rats.  I was liking them more and more. I was about to propose we leave and return when feeling a little better when the fair Mattie produced a vial of snow white liquid. She offered me a sip and I felt the pain in my shoulder disappear. I gave her the patented Gileegan wry smile and she responded with a look so awkward and sad it made me little hobbit heart flutter!

We made our way around the caves for a bit more then entered into what appeared to be a tropical jungle inside the underground caves! As strange as this appeared we soon saw something even stranger, a merchant right in the middle of this odd jungle cave. His voice was like serpent oil and when he asked what we sought Mattie fell prey to his charm. He instantly produced the very item Mattie sought. Now Mummy always told me that if it looks too good to be true then it probably isn't and Mummy is NEVER wrong. I pulled Devedos aside as I knew he was far too prudent to be fooled by this charlatan. Devedos quickly began his righteous speak with the merchant, show off... The merchant disappeared into thin air.

Moving on through the caves we happened upon a group of bandits. My new companion Devedos went into the fray all arms and legs and made short work of these poor fellows. I managed to get in a few arrows myself. After realizing our neanderthal friend Link had taken most of the blows from the bandits we decided to head back to town. I was determined to find out what kind of drink Mattie preferred!