nims-journal

[nims-journal]

The Council of the Sisterhood

It was midday by the time we returned to the city. We headed straight for Magatha's tent and found her still tending to her large cauldron. She looked over the roots we gave her, commenting that it had taken us a bit longer than she had expected. We decided not to tell her about dusting one of the plants by accident. She deemed the roots to be sufficient then told us to head to the Faces of the Gods.

"I will continue working on the potion to purify Eon's body. You are all needed at the Temple."

We didn't question how Magatha knew we were needed elsewhere, by this point we'd learned to just roll with whatever she did. It just seemed easier that way. At the Faces of the Gods we were greeted by Kyrie and Elaison, both looking rather surprised by our arrival.

"That was fast! We'd only just sent word to the Guild to send you here."

We were swiftly brought before Polyhymnia. Beside her were Thalia and Calliope, both looking a little drained. The talk must have been draining, but I guess given the topic that wasn't surprising. Polyhymnia wasted no time in telling us the task she in mind. She was going to hold a council of the Sisterhood. They would all rejoin at the temple and reevaluate what needed to done with Melpomene; whether they leave her as she was or bring her back into the city and help her recover.

"I would like you three to find the others and bring them here. You've been in Mach-Corvin for some time now so I'm sure you've met some of them. Some of them hold positions of power here in the city. I will warn you, my sisters may be difficult to persuade, especially given the matter at hand."

We were quickly dismissed after that, I had a feeling that Polyhymnia was still in a bad mood and didn't want to deal with us any more than she had too. As such, we didn't have a chance to ask about her other sisters. We'd been in Mach-Corvin for a while and from the various tasks we'd done with the Guild, we had encountered some of the sisters; Eratos at the Azalea Ambrosia Casino, Urania at Alma Ahm University and Clio at the Seat of Knowledge. When it was all said and done, we'd met seven of the Nine. There were still two we'd have to locate. Perhaps one of the others could help us.

We decided to head for the Seat of Knowledge first, as it was the closest place to the temple. Clio would probably be the best sister to ask about the others as she seemed to be in a position of, well, knowledge.

Inside was just as impressive as before, with tall shelves of books lining the walls and tables covered in parchments and scrolls. Clio was still at the top floor, sitting among piles of books with the young albino boy beside her. As we approached her, it seemed as though she was meditating, sitting cross-legged with her hand cupped before her and her eyes closed. She made no sign of acknowledging us as we approached. We tried calling out to her to gain her attention but we couldn't seem to wake her.

"That won't work. She's in a trance right now."

Though he was speaking to us, the boy continued to stare into the distance, his hand still passing over the pages of the book in his lap. He explained that Clio was deep in a trance and wouldn't awaken unless she was touched by an outside force. He said it wouldn't harm her if we did so but warned that we should still be cautious. From just a touch, Clio would be able to see a person's entire life; from the moment they were born to the present. I'll admit, I was a little curious as to what her vision would show of my past. I moved to gently touch her hand but Domaug brushed past me and grabbed her shoulder.

In an instant, Clio's eyes snapped open and she gasped loudly, reeling backwards as if she'd been struck violently. She clutched at her head, her hands trembling. For a moment she was speechless, staring blankly ahead. Her shoulders shuddered as she drew in a few ragged breaths, trying to calm herself before she could finally speak.

"S-so much blood. Violence. Never have I seen such death and destruction."

She looked up at Domaug, who mumbled a minor apology and said if what the boy said was true, then she would know why we were there. Clio nodded. She adjusted her mask, as it had been knocked slightly askew from her sudden movements, and considered for a few moments.

"A council to determine Melpomene's fate. There really is nothing more to discuss. We did what we had to. If we were to bring her back..." She paused, as if stuck in another thought. She looked to Domaug, piercing eyes shining from behind her mask. "But, I have... seen... what you have. I know how you feel, your personal thoughts on the matter. I understand and I will go."

Clio stood, looking so small compared to Domaug in front of her. She spoke to the boy beside her, telling him that she would be gone for a little while and that he was to take care of the library in her absence. As she began to leave, we followed close behind. I asked if it would be all right to leave such a young boy in charge. Clio responded by saying that Horus was a very competent and was capable of many things.

"It is not surprising considering who his mother is. You have already met her, haven't you." She gave me a side glance and I realized that last part wasn't a question; it was a statement.

We'd already met her? But who could possibly--

I still have the other. The Bright One.

"Melpomene?"

Clio nodded. "I took Horus in after we... sent her away. To keep him safe. To nurture him. Teach him. Guide him. I've seen into that boy's future. He is destined for great things. Truly amazing things. The first male child of our lineage. He is... very important."

The way she spoke, you would think she was speaking of her own child. I wondered if maybe there was another reason Clio might not want her sister to come back. I pushed that thought away. Don't make judgments. When we reached outside, Clio informed us she could get herself to the temple and that we should go gather the others.

We considered where to go next, both the university and the casino were about the same distance from the library. But remembering the fiasco that was teaching at the university and how angry Urania had been with us, we decided that it should be saved for later. For now it was onto the casino. Hopefully Eratos would be as easy to convince as Clio was.

It was mid-afternoon by the time we reached the casino. Ellisar was rather impressed by the sight of it, commenting that he'd never seen such a lavish building. It'd felt like so long ago that we were there, I'd forgotten he wasn't with us that day. My thoughts drifted back to old companions and I hoped they were all doing well. It wasn't long after we entered that we were greeted by a casino employee. He seemed rather curious as to our reason for being there. I guess people from the Guild weren't normal patrons. When we told him we had business with Eratos he seemed skeptical but showed us the way to her office.

She glanced up as we entered, looking mildly annoyed at being disturbed but quickly donning a professional face as though she were about to deal with some disgruntled patrons. She asked who we were and why we'd come. I was a little surprised she didn't remember us, most people tend to remember when a lami-- when someone of my kind comes around. We tried to jog her memory, telling her we were from the Guild and had filled in for some entertainment some time ago. She thought for a moment before commenting that she had some vague recollection of something like that happening. She seemed to relax a little, realizing that we didn't seem to be there to lodge a complaint. We told her our reason for coming; that there was to be a council of the Sisterhood to discuss Melpomene and that we'd been sent to fetch her.

"What's there to discuss?" She said flatly. "We already decided what needed to be done with her. She should've known better, fooling around like that. She was a disgrace to us all."

"It's not right." Domaug said gruffly. "She needs help."

Eratos raised an brow before waving us off. "Look, I'll make this simple for you. The decision was already made and to be perfectly honest, unless it makes me money, I don't care. I'm not going to some stupid council. Now kindly get out!"

Domaug looked furious. Acting on impulse, I quickly stepped in. If it was money she wanted...

"Miss Eratos, I don't suppose you remember our halfling friend that performed with us? The one that performed the traditional halfling dance?"

She thought for a moment before a smile drew across her face. "Oh yes. I remember him. He made me lots of money. What about him?"

"Well..." Cayden forgive me for what I'm about to do. "He really enjoyed dancing here. I'd be willing to ask him to come back and perform for you again. Possibly for an extented period of time." Just a little white lie. It's okay. It's for a good cause! "That is, if you'd be willing to give some of your time and go to the council. A fair deal I think." Keliege I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!

Eratos considered this, looking as though she was doing some mental math. Her fingers tapped against her desk, counting unknown sums. When her calculations were complete, she sighed and agreed. She would go to the council, listen to what her sisters had to say, and when it was all done, I would send her Keliege. I told her that sounded perfectly fine to me then asked if she needed us to escort her back to the temple. She declined and left promptly, leaving us alone in her office. Shortly after she left, Ellisar began prodding.

"Dancing at a casino? Seems I've missed something interesting. But she's going to be very angry when she finds out Keliege's not a part of our group anymore."

"We'll burn that bridge when we get to it. Let's just move on to the next sister."

It occurred to me as we left the casino that we still had no information about the two unknown sisters. I had meant to ask Clio but had gotten distracted by the talk of Horus and forgot. It was took late to ask Eratos and going back to the temple now to ask there felt like it might've been a bad idea. We would have to hope that Urania could help. I was not looking forward to going back to the university.

The entire walk there, I tried to think of best way to convince her. Urania had been furious with the results of Domaug and Ellisar's classes but she hadn't been too upset about mine. Perhaps I could do it by myself? But Domaug was so much more passionate about all this, Ellisar too. Their insight could be very useful in convincing her. We'd gotten lucky with Clio and Eratos. I just hoped Urania would even agree to see us.

When we arrived at the university, classes were being let out for the day. Students were bustling about the hallways, getting ready to head home for the day as we made our way towards Urania's office. A few students remembered me, coming up and cheerfully telling me how much they'd enjoyed the class I taught. One told me he had written off Cayden's faith as a religious for drunkards and hooligans but after hearing me speak of Cayden's philosophy of life, he had changed his mind. That was such a joy to hear and gave me a little confidence in our task.

Traveling further into the university dampened some of that. Shrieks of terror came from a few girls who ran away as soon as they saw Domaug and Ellisar was nearly assaulted by what looked like a bear wearing a student's uniform. I began to regret my decision of not going alone.

We paused before Urania's office. I hesitated for a moment before gently knocking on the door. It was silent for a moment and I wondered if maybe she'd already gone home for the day. Ellisar came up beside me and proceeded try the handle. The door opened and inside we saw Urania working at her desk, a mountain of papers to either side of her as she wrote furiously in a notebook. She continued writing, completely ignoring our entrance until Ellisar cleared his throat to gain her attention. Her quill stopped and she sighed heavily.

"I told you I have a lot of work to do. What--" she looked up and her eyes widened, "You! What are you all doing back here? Didn't you all cause enough trouble here?!"

In a panic, a string of apologies spilled from my mouth, apologizing profusely for disturbing her and for previous transgressions. Ellisar was quick to jump in this time, explaining our reason for coming back. To no one's surprise, Urania didn't seem to happy about wanting to discuss her sister. She was blunt in her explanation; that what was done with Melpomene was the only proper course. She had brought shame to them all.

"Polyhymnia is seriously considering bringing Melpomene back? Our decision was right when we first made it. Exile was the only option for her, she was a danger to herself and others. To bring her back now would only lead to more trouble and shame. Really she should be glad exile was all we did to her."

Ellisar pleaded with her, explaining the state we'd seen Melpomene in, how isolating her wasn't doing her any good. Domaug added that we'd already gotten Clio and Eratos to agree to go, though he left out how exactly we'd convinced them. With another heavy sigh, Urania finally conceded. She was still firm in her belief that what they'd done was right and that this whole thing would be pointless but she was at least willing to go. As she started to leave I stopped her, admitting that we were tasked with bringing ALL the sisters together but we were missing two of them.

"You're really asking me? Clio would've been better. This is more her area."

"Yes yes. I thought as much. Sorry. Um, again. It, um, slipped my mind to ask her when we were there."

She paused to think, trying to recollect any information about her sisters. "Terpsichore and Euterpe are the ones you'll be looking for. Terpsichore was a feather-brain that liked to dance. She used to do it at the casino but she was always arguing with Eratos, so she left. Haven't seen her since their last argument but I believe she's still in the city somewhere. But Euterpe? I haven't heard from her in years! I don't even know if she's still in Mach-Corvin."

It wasn't much, but it was something. At least now we had names. Names we could ask about, find information about. If I'd known one of them used to be at the casino I would've liked to have asked Eratos but if what Urania said was true and the two didn't see eye to eye, I doubt she would've told us anything. The sun was beginning to set as we left the university. Polyhymnia hadn't given us a time limit but I had a feeling she'd expected us to complete the task by day's end. I suggested going to the tavern and asking there. In my travels I've learned that taverns can be great sources of information about local people. Ellisar had a different idea; asking Magatha. She was also quite knowledgeable and seemed to have a connection to the Sisterhood. Perhaps she could help.

We decided to split up, myself and Domaug headed to the tavern while Ellisar went to Magatha's. When we reached the tavern, it was much more crowded than usual. It seemed as though there was some big event going that people were getting excited about. Domaug and I began asking around, seeing if anyone recognized the names of the two sisters but most of the patrons either didn't know or simply didn't care. I tried to flag down Ruben in an attempt to ask him but he was too busy with other patrons to get to me.

Eventually, Ellisar returned to us. Thankfully he had some good news. Magatha did know where one of the sisters was; turns out Terpsichore was a fighter in the arena and as luck would have it, there was a big fight tonight that she would more than likely be participating in. Domaug and Ellisar both decided to head to the arena in the hopes of finding her. I told them that I would meet them there. I still wanted to try and ask Ruben if he knew anything about Euterpe.

I found an open spot at the bar and decided that was the best place to wait until things died down. Eventually, Desiree found her way over to me. I felt a little awkward around her, knowing what she was now but I tried not to let it bother me. She acted no different towards me, treating me as another patron until I told her I was actually there for information. Her mood changed from cheerful to serious.

"You're not here on more business with Magatha are you? I really don't have the time for it."

"No no. I'm actually looking for someone. Someone of importance. If I gave you a name, do you think you could help me?"

"I suppose. Depends on who you're lookin' for."

"Euterpe. She's--"

"I know who she is." Desiree cut me off then glanced around, as if looking to see if anyone else was paying attention. "Why are you looking for her?"

"That's a... private matter that I don't think I can discuss. Just know that I need to find her."

Desiree mulled it over for a moment before leaning closer to me and whispering, "If you can wait until things die down a little, then I can tell you. But you didn't hear anything from me got it?"

I nodded and let her go back to her work. If anything, this would give Ellisar and Domaug time to find Terpsichore at the arena. Perhaps we'd be lucky enough to find both sisters at once and save some time. For now, I decided to use the time to relax and collect my thoughts.

It was such a complicated family drama we'd gotten mixed up in. These sisters seemed so selfish, caring more about either themselves or maintaining the image of the Sisterhood that trying to help one another. Did they really care so little about the well-being of one of their own? Though I didn't have a blood family growing up, I did consider those I grew up with to be my family. I wasn't lying to Thalia when I told her I wouldn't hesitate to help any of them if they were in trouble.

My thoughts wandered back to that place. To the halls we walked through, the garden we used to play in. I wondered how everyone was doing now. There had been some that had been lucky to be adopted while others had left on their own to start out as adventurers. I was always sad to see them leave. I felt like they were leaving me behind, like I was being abandoned again. As I got older I knew that wasn't true but, it has remained a niggling thought in the back of my mind. I had been so lost in thought, I hadn't noticed the tavern quiet down. Desiree found her way back over, leaning against the bar as she began to talk in a hushed tone. She told me she knew of Euterpe, that she was a singer in a speakeasy hidden in the city. It was home to some of the more undesirable and unwanted of Mach-Corvin. Jokingly she added that I may find myself at home there.

"Still, I wouldn't suggest going there by yourself. It wouldn't hurt to have some muscle with ya. Now, there's a distilery in town, by the merchants district. In the back of it you'll see what looks like a cellar door. That's your step into the speakeasy. Should be easy to go right in. Euterpe tends to sing late at night so you'll want to be there around midnight. And you may want to be wary as her songs can be a little... hypnotic."

I thanked her for the information, leaving a few gold pieces on the bar as I left. I'd been at the tavern much longer than I realized, the sun had already set and the evening stars we beginning to come into view. I hoped Ellisar and Domaug were still at the arena.

Though we'd never been there, it wasn't hard to find; turns out it wasn't too far from the Guild. I had a feeling many of the participants were also members. It seemed like a good place to let off some steam. There was a burly looking man outside the main gate when I arrived. I asked if he'd seen anyone matching my companions had come through. He thought, looking as though he was running through his head every person who had passed by that day, before finally saying he had seen a pair like that earlier that evening.

"Very strange seeing an orc and an elf together. Asked me about getting into the arena. I told them only way in is through fighting. Thought they were gonna pair up but they ended up joining separately. They may be coming up on the roster soon if you're here to watch."

I thanked the man and headed inside, slowly making my way up and into the stands. Never did get along well with stairs. The stands themselves were packed and it took a little time before I could find a good spot to view the action below. I tried asking those around me if anyone by the name of Ellisar or Domaug had shown up but I was mostly ignored or drowned out by the cheers of the rest of the crowd. I decided it would be best to just watch until the end and perhaps ask around afterwards. I was already there so I may as well enjoy the show.

It would seem that I had perfect timing. The last fight had just ended and as the battlefield was cleared, a booming voice announced the next match.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! MAY I INTRODUCE TO YOU OUR NEXT COMBATANTS! TWO NEWCOMERS TO THE ARENA! THIS LOOKS TO BE A BATTLE OF THE AGES!

HAILING FROM THE SOUTH, BOASTING AS WAR-CHIEF OF THE GROMOC'S TOOTH CLAN! DOMAUG IRON-JAW!!

AND, FROM THE WEST! FROM THE SHINING ELVEN CITY OF TRELLIANE! ELLISAR TORWIND!!"

I feel like I should've seen this coming.

The two were set at opposite sides of the arena, armed with new weapons. It looked as though the arena had provided them with something that could actually do damage. Ellisar was fitted with a long bow and short sword while Domaug had a huge bastard sword. Domaug let out a tremendous bellow as he charged at full speed towards Ellisar, who began firing arrows at him at an alarming speed. A few shots missed but two hit their mark, one burrowing deep into Domaug's shoulder.

That didn't stop him though, didn't even slow him down. He reached Ellisar and swung with all his might. The crowd roared with excitement as Ellisar stumbled backwards. He dropped his bow and grabbed at a shortsword at his side, lunging forward and piercing Domaug's side. Still the orc wasn't phased, in fact I think he may have been enjoying it a little. There hadn't been a lot of opportunities to fight during our time here, perhaps now Domaug felt like he was actually getting a challenge.

Compared to Domaug, Ellisar had a slim frame and he used that to his advantage, dodging around the orc and slicing at his back. He was shouting something too but I couldn't make it out over the roar of the crowd. Domaug dropped to his knee, breathing heavily for a moment before spinning around and slamming Ellisar with the broadside of his sword. He went flying backwards, crashing into the wall of the arena with such force, the wall cracked. He slid to the ground, unmoving. I cried out while those around me cheered for the bloodshed. Below, a few people rushed out, some going to Ellisar while another ran to Domaug. They appeared to be healers. I should've expected there to be some kind of safety for the fighters. Ellisar was carted off, still unconscious but alive while Domaug was prepped for the next battle.

I was torn for a moment, unsure if I should go check on Ellisar or stay and watch Domaug's next bout. But I couldn't use my magic in the city, so going to see Ellisar would just be a bother and I had to admit, I was curious to see how the next fight went. I sat through a few more round of combatants; a lizardfolk duking it our with a human warrior, a pair of half-orcs pitted against one another. The fights were entertaining but nothing seemed as intense as the fight between my companions. Then again, I could've just been biased.

When the arena cleared, the booming voice returned announcing the final round.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! IT IS TIME NOW FOR OUR FINAL BATTLE FOR THE EVENING! THE UPSET OF THE CENTURY! THE REIGNING CHAMPION VS A SURPRISING NEW COMER!

I PRESENT TO YOU... DOMAUG IRON-JAW VERSES THE DERVISH DANCER!!"

Into the arena strode Domaug, healed up and looking ready for another fight. He was still armed with a bastard sword though now he appeared to have a few axes tied to his waist. Across from him entered a woman clad in veils and scarves. She looked like a lost belly dancer and from what I could see, she didn't even appear to be armed. This was the reigning champion?

Terpsichore was a feather-brain that liked to dance. She used to do it at the casino but she was always arguing with Eratos, so she left.

A fighter in the arena that liked to dance. Of course.

For a few moments the two just stared each other down, sizing one another up. Then Domaug held out his sword in some kind of salute and bowed. Terpsichore returned the gesture, sweeping her arms out at the sides and bowing gracefully before launching herself forward with alarming speed. Within seconds she reached Domaug and slashed at him with one of her scarves. There was a loud CLANG as it collided with Domaug's sword. It was no longer a flowing piece of fabric but a sharp and heavy blade. Sparks began to fly as the two clashed swords and the crowd around me erupted into cheers. I have to admit, I felt myself get swept up into the excitement, almost forgetting the whole reason why I was there to begin with.

Domaug let out a roar and forced Terpsichore back, putting her on the defensive. Her movements were quick as she sidestepped Domaug's next swing and sliced at him with another blow from her scarf-blade. She leapt backwards as Domaug tried to turn and catch her. I was beginning to understand why the called her the Dervish Dancer; her moments were graceful and flowing and even though Domaug was just another fighter, his movements began to sync with hers. Had there been music, it would've looked like a ballet.

Another scarf appeared in Terpsichore's off hand. Where she had pulled it from I couldn't tell. It moved like it was alive, entwining itself around Domaug's legs and pulling him off balance. He stumbled but managed to catch himself at the last moment. He grabbed one of the axes off his belt and threw it, catching Terpsichore in the side and bringing her to her knee. Domaug took his chance and charged again, ready to deliver the finishing blow. But Terpsichore had one more trick up her sleeve. She reached around her shoulder and produced a small piece of fabric. She tossed it at Domaug and it began to grow rapidly. It enveloped him like a net, entangling him and sending him crashing to the ground. He struggled against it as Terpsichore calmly walked towards him, finally stopping beside him and pressing a dagger against his neck.

Loud cheers exploded around the arena and I could barely make out the announcer's voice as he proclaimed Terpsichore to be the winner. I decided now would be the best time to try and meet back up with my companions.

I was able to convince one of the workers to take me to the fighters' waiting room so that I could meet up with Domaug and Ellisar. When I arrived, Ellisar was already there. He still looked a little roughed up from his fight with Domaug but otherwise he was fine. I scolded him a little for being so reckless but he waved me off, telling me there was no real danger. The arena apparently had some kind of safety measures to keep fighters from killing one another but that didn't make me feel any better. When I asked why the two had even joined in the fighting to begin with he told me it was the only way to meet Terpsichore.

"We asked when we got here to speak with her. Guy at the door said fighting is the only language of the arena. I think Domaug took that as a challenge. We found out when Terpsichore was going to be fighting and we signed up for that. We figured if were fought long enough, eventually one of us would go up against her. Wasn't planning on fighting each other."

A short while later, Domaug was brought into the waiting room. He was looking a little disappointed at his loss but shrugged it off when I asked him about it. Instead he told me he managed to convince Terpsichore to go to the council.

"Told her at the start of the fight I knew who she was and that I had something to ask of her. But I also acknowledged that she was a warrior and that actions should speak for themselves. I had planned to best her in combat to make her go, but she was impressed I held my own against her for so long. Said I grabbed her interest."

I couldn't argue with the results but I had wished it could've been done without violence. As we left, I filled the two in on what I'd learned at the tavern about Euterpe. It was getting late and I hoped we would reach the speakeasy in time. We made our way back to the distillery, navigating our way down the darken streets and eventually finding ourselves in a back alley. Just like Desiree had described, I found the cellar door. Painted faintly on it was some kind of symbol but I was unable to make out just what it meant. I realized that an establishment such as thing would probably have some kind of protection and wondered if that's what the symbol was for.

Cautiously I tugged at the door but it didn't budge. Domaug decided to try and grabbed hold of the handle, yanking at it with all his strength. Still the door would not budge. Ellisar then offered his assistance and the two began heaving and struggling with the door. I thought that perhaps there was some kind of password that needed to be uttered to activate the door, that perhaps that's what the symbol was but then I remembered Desiree's words.

That's your step into the speakeasy.

I asked Domaug and Ellisar to stand aside as I stepped up onto the cellar door. I then reached out and felt at the wall behind it. Sure enough, my hand passed right through. Clever. I motioned for the two to follow and we made our way into the dark tunnel. It was a little cramped, Domaug had to slouch down to fit but eventually the tunnel widened and we found ourselves in a smokey, dimly lit bar. Right away I saw why Desiree thought I would be in good company here. I'd never seen so many monstrous patrons in one place before; a few orcs and a ogre having an arm-wrestling contest, a large slime creature slowly oozing its way around, a tengu and a drow having what looked like a heated argument in the corner. I made my way to the bar and waved my hand to grab the attention of the bartender. A rather buxom woman strode up to me. She spoke with a deep, husky voice saying that she was surprised to see a lamia in her tavern.

"Cat-taur please." I said with a patient smile, "We're actually looking for someone. A singer."

The woman's eyes lit up. "A singer?! I'm a singer! Listen!"

She began belting out what I could only imagine was some kind of ballad, her voice straining to hit notes it wasn't meant for. Beside me I saw Ellisar wince and nonchalantly place a hand over one ear, trying to mask it as looking in another direction. Domaug simply walked away, his interest shifting to the arm-wrestling group.

When the woman finished, I gave her a small clap and thanked her for the song, trying to stay as polite as possible while also trying to steer the conversation back to Euterpe. The woman seemed disappointed but was still helpful, telling me that Euterpe indeed due to sing that night. Her set wouldn't be ready for another hour so we were welcome to stay and have a few drinks while we waited. I gladly took her up on the offer, deciding to give a try at 'Cayden's Challenge' again. She seemed unsure about the concoction but agreed to make it.

I was a little taken aback by some of the drinks included. One was simply called "George"; a shot glass filled with a portion of the slime creature wandering around the tavern. All together this drink was... interesting. A lot thicker than anything I'd drank before, I suspect that was "George" at work. I was left with a mild buzz and spent the next hour chatting with various folks around the tavern. Such friendly people.

As the night drew on, the tavern began to settle down. Domaug was still in the midst of an arm-wrestling competition so I thought it best to just leave him be and find Ellisar. I found him sitting at a table near the back, nursing a drink and just observing his surroundings. I think he may have been feeling a little out of place. I sat down beside him as the lights began to dim in the tavern. A small stage set up in the middle lit up and a woman appeared. She was dressed in a luscious gown with a huge, fluffy boa around her shoulders.

She scanned the room, nodding towards a few patrons, blowing air kisses at others. The tavern soon fell quiet with all eyes on the woman on stage. She began to sing. There was no music to accompany her but she didn't need any. Her voice was angelic. Warm and soothing. I felt like I was being caressed, her voice filling my head and making me feel like I could drift off into a peaceful slumber. I could see now why Desiree had given me that warning. This was a powerful voice.

The song wasn't very long but it didn't need to be. When she was done, the entire mood of the tavern had shifted from being rowdy and chaotic to a calm and content. Euterpe had moved to the bar and began chatting with a few patrons. Now was the best time to try and talk to her. I waited until she finished her conversation before addressing her.

"Excuse me, are you Euterpe?"

"And who would like to know?" Her voice still had a melodious tone to it, deep and sounding like velvet.

I felt goosebumps on my arms as she spoke. I introduced myself and my companions as members of the Guild and asked if we could speak in private. I felt our reason for being there wasn't really a matter to be discussed in the open. Euterpe seemed hesitant but eventually agreed, leading us to a small back room. Her dressing room it would appear, with a small vanity set in the corner and a couch covered in pillows. She sat down and began touching up her face, asking why the Guild would send its members to such a place. I told her it wasn't the Guild that had sent us but rather her sister.

"There's a council being held amongst the sisters to reevaluate what has been done with Melpomene." I explained. "We've been tasked with gathering everyone. You're the last."

She was quiet, gently dabbing at her face with a make-up brush. "What was done to Melpomene," she finally said. "Was already decided. How do I know this isn't some trick to lure me out of hiding?"

"We've seen the state of Melpomene." Ellisar said. "And we've made it clear to all your other sisters that something needs to be done."

Euterpe sighed, turning to face us. "That's not a very convincing argument. But then again, you don't seem to be lying. Very well. I'll go to this little... council of theirs. Who knows, it may even be fun."

As she got up to leave, we asked if she needed us to escort her back to the temple. She merely chucked, telling us that wouldn't be necessary before vanishing into the shadows.

With out task complete, it was time to head back to the inn for some sleep. We were all exhausted from running all over the city. When we arrived, we had some visitors waiting for us in the lobby; Kyrie and Elaison. They informed us that all the sisters had arrived safely at the temple and that the council was underway. Polyhymnia was very pleased with us but had one more important task for us. As the sisters would be busy until the council was released, there were some positions that needed to be filled in their absence.

"The Archon has decided to give these positions to you three as you've shown resourcefulness, quick thinking and diligence. Domaug Ironjaw shall be given the position of Watch Captain in place of Calliope. Ellisar Torwind shall be given the position of management in the Azalea Ambrosia Casino in place of Eratos. And Nimladrie shall be given the position of Head Mistress of Alma Ahm University in place of Urania."

Elaison produced a velvet lined box holding three gold badges. Each had the crest of the city as well as a symbol depicting different areas: City Watch, the Casino and the University. As we took our badges, Kyrie continued explaining. The badges would allow us to bypass the marks given to us when we first entered the city. Our weapons could be used again and I would have access to my magic once more. We were all expected to report to our respective offices early the next day, myself and Domaug especially. The Guild would also be informed of our current positions.

It was a little overwhelming, at least I felt that way. To entrust such jobs to outsiders like ourselves. The Archon must've really trusted us. We would have to be sure not to let them down. Domaug decided he wanted to get a jump start and headed for the barracks right away. Ellisar and myself turned in for the night. I hoped to at least get some sleep.

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[nims-journal]

Hunting for Ingredients

At the Guild Swanne informed us that a new quest had just been requested of us. Another personal request this time coming from Magatha. We headed for her tent and found her still working away over her bubbling cauldron. She took notice of us right away and smiled.

"All done with the sisters are you?"

I was about to ask her how exactly she knew what we had been doing when she cut me off and launched into her request. She was almost done the potion to purify Eon's body of the demonic blight within it but she was short an ingredient: Mandragora roots. They were located on the outer edges of the Whispering Woods and she needed at least three of them. We were then promptly shooed out and told not to waste anymore time.

Domaug and myself were more than ready to head out right away, but Ellisar stopped us. He said that he was familiar with various magical plants and that Mandragora could be dangerous to those unprepared. When plucked from the ground, the creatures would emit a shrill shriek that could bring even the strongest of warriors to their knees. It would be in our best interest to get some kind of ear protection. Not entirely sure where best to get such a thing, we chose to head to the marketplace and try our luck there.

We tried a couple different shops. I hadn't realized just how diverse of a market Mach-Corvin had. Our first stop was a tailor who seemed more interested in designing a new wardrobe for me and my... unique shape rather than sell simple earmuffs. We later tried a local blacksmith, thinking perhaps he would carry protective gear of some kind. No such luck but Domaug did manage to strike up a deal to improve his hammer at a later time. He seemed to hit things off well with the owner, a boisterous dwarven man by the name of Donge. On a whim, we stopped at a small floral stall hoping that the owner might know something about magical plants. Our whim paid off and the man was able to provide us with not only thick earplugs, but also a set of earmuffs for extra protection. Ellisar took them for himself, his ears being much more sensitive than ours.

With proper ear protection acquired, we headed out of the city and towards the wood. The florist had also been kind enough to give us a description of what to look for when plucking Mandragora. It all seemed fairly straightforward; look for three long leave poking out of the ground, usually in a clearing in the shade. As we walked, we decided on a plan. I would pull the creatures out of the ground and Domaug and Ellisar would handle subduing them. We were all feeling confident a mindless task like this would be a good way to get our minds off of the previous quest.

When we reached the woods, we began searching for the areas where the Mandragora would grow. We stuck to the edges of the wood, looking for any signs of clearings amidst the brush. Eventually we spotted few tufts that looked like the right kind. With ear protection in place, we took our positions. I grasped hold as close to the base of the leaves as I could and heaved with all my might. There was quite a bit of resistance and I almost couldn't get it out of the ground. I took a moment to re-position myself then remembered that while outside of the city, I could use my spells again. I'd gotten so used to not being able to use them I'd almost forgotten I had them. Giving myself a little bolster to my strength, I tried again and managed to get the top exposed.

Beneath the leaves was a strange plant with an almost human face. As soon as I was able to get it out, it began to shriek and struggle in my hands. I'm glad we'd gotten ear protection but even with it, the shrieks could still faintly be heard. A high pitched whine that seemed to drill through into my skull. My head felt dizzy and I worried it was the same for my companions. They were able to take the Mandragora down but afterwards Domaug appeared a bit queasy. I gestured to ask if he wanted to rest before continuing but he shook his head, instead responding in gesture that indicated he would take over pulling the roots. It was a little hard to make out what he was saying along with it but it looked to be something about him being stronger and getting them out faster than me.

I shrugged and nodded. There was no point in arguing about it and I certainly didn't feel like miming through it all either. We were able to find two more sets of Mandragora and with Domaug pulling it did make disposing of them faster. Ellisar kept them pinned down with arrows while I was able to pierce one through with my sword. It was kinda nice to actually take part in combat, it wasn't something I did very often. The next Mandragora we pulled looked a little more shriveled than the others, I imagined it might've been an older one. After Domaug yanked it out of the ground, he took a swing at it with his hammer and the thing exploded into dust. It looked as though we were going to farming for these little buggers a bit longer than we'd expected.

It took us some time before we were able to find another tuft. This one was much larger than the others. Upon being pulled out we discovered it was actually three that had been nesting together, two small and a rather large one. I distanced myself a little as the fight began, suddenly remembering Magatha's warning about the enchantment on my amulet. I didn't like separating myself from my companions during a fight but I reassured myself that I could still keep them healed at a distance and it would be wise to not take any chances. Domaug did most of the damage to the large one while Ellisar kept his attention on the smaller ones. It was a long fight but by the end we had more than enough roots for Magatha. I healed up their wounds before we headed back to town.

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[nims-journal]

In the Shadows

Spring, 736 Day Five in Mach-Corvin

I awoke earlier than usual the next day. Domaug was still out like a light, snoring so loudly I could feel the floor vibrate with each breath. Ellisar was still asleep as well, doing so rather peacefully despite Domaug's nearby rumbling. But Keliege was awake. In fact, it looked as though he'd been awake for a while, completely dressed and with his pack on his back. He was in the middle writing something when he noticed me. He looked a little guilty for a moment.

"I... was hoping to have this done before you woke up." He said, crumpling up the note. "It's nothing against you! Well, maybe a little. Look, I knew being an adventurer would be difficult. That there'd be danger involved. It comes with the job. I was prepared for that!"

He paused, looking away before continuing. "Thought I was prepared. But... rogue psychopomps? Getting mixed up with literal death itself?! Nim. I don't wanna die. Plain and simple. Sorry."

I didn't know what to say. I wanted to be upset, it wasn't like I'd asked to wear this damned thing! But I could understand why he wouldn't want to stay. We did seem to be heading down a dangerous path. I told Keliege I wished him the best of luck in whatever he decided to do and that if he ever changed his mind, he would be more than welcome to come back and join us. As he left, I wondered if Ellisar and Domaug would have similar thoughts.

When the two awoke I told them about Keliege. I asked if they were also considering leaving. The two thought about it but told me they'd already come this far.

"An orc isn't afraid of death!" "We'll just have to make sure we kill the enemies before they get you."

It was reassuring to know Domaug and Ellisar were still with me. Our large group had dwindled down to just a trio but we were going to stick together no matter what. Perhaps later I could speak with Magatha again and see if she could tell me more about this enchantment.

We headed down to the Guild to turn in our last quest. However, when we arrived and told Swanne we'd "completed" the second quest she was confused. She had no recollection of telling us of a second quest nor was there any record in the books about one being requested. There had only been the one for the menagerie.

Really we shouldn't have been surprised by that. Instead Swanne disregarded it and instead informed us that we were now Rank Two in the Guild. She commented that our group had shrunk a little but that was normal for most starting groups and that we shouldn't let that discourage us. For now, it was time for our first quest of Rank Two; we were to report to the Archon.

"She requested your group specificly. You must be honored to get to see the Archon. Not many get to meet her personally."

We didn't have the heart to tell Swanne we'd already met the Archon, several times in fact, so we instead just headed straight to the Faces of the Gods.

We were met promptly by Kyrie and Elaison when we arrived. We were guided once more through the temple towards the Archon’s chambers. I wondered if maybe she had some more information about the amulet or the specter we'd met the previous day. But it would seem this quest was something completely different.

"I would like for you all to deliever the news of Eon's passing to her mother, Melpomene."

We were a little confused as to why we were given such a task, as it seemed like something another member of the family should be doing. We were outsiders to this matter. Polyhymnia explained that she could not leave the temple and that since we were with Eon in her final moments, it would be best for us to deliver the news. There was, however, little snag in the request. Polyhymnia didn't know Melpomene's exact location.

"She's in the slums, that much I know. I have acquired a guide for you to take you to her. He's very reliable."

On her signal, the doors opened and another person walked in. A very familiar person.

"His name is Mercutio. He knows the slums very well and can guide you to where Melpomene is."

He approached slowly, dressed in simple armor rather than the posh attire I'd seen him wear before. Behind him was LeFou, dressed in clerical vestments of all things. I recognized the insignia as that of Abadar. Would not have pegged him as a follower of the God of Law and Merchants, but I am not one to judge. Ignoring the three of us, Mercutio walked past and bowed before Polyhymnia, saying he was honored to be of assistance to her. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Domaug scowling, clearly upset with having to work with such a person. Ellisar took notice and prodded me asking what was wrong. I’d forgotten he wasn’t with us when we had met at the soup kitchen. I told him I would explain later and to just focus on the mission at hand.

As the five of us left the temple, Mercutio confronted me, his tone cold.

"I want to make this clear right now; I'm doing this for Melpomene. If I had my way, I wouldn't be working with your lot. I will take you to where she is and that's it. If we run into trouble, that's on you. I still haven't forgotten our little... exchange from before."

I smiled and tried to remain polite, "So we're all going to be professional then. A truce until the job is done? I can work with that."

Our trip to the slums was quiet and uneventful with Mercutio and LeFou leading the way. We’d only just started walking through the slums, when we crossed paths with Calliope. It looked as though she was returning from a patrol in the area. She took notice of our group and addressed us, asking why we were here and with our current company. I had a brief thought of making up a lie for our reason. For some reason it felt like it might be a bad idea to tell her the truth. But I hate lying and find that the truth, though harsh, is sometime necessary. I told her the Archon had given us the task of reporting Eon's death to her mother. Calliope did not look too happy about that.

"Why you? Why isn't she doing it herself?"

"She said she couldn't leave the temple." Ellisar answered.

Calliope laughed bitterly, "Is that what she told you? She just doesn't want to see Melpomene after..." She cut herself off and shook her head. "No. I won't let you go. This is a family matter. It doesn't concern you."

"I agree this is a family matter," I said, "but sometimes news this heavy needs to be delivered from an outside source. And we were the ones with her when she died."

Calliope mulled over this, looking like she was about to argue further but eventually conceded. She agreed to let us continue but only if she came along as well. Mercutio shrugged stating that he was merely a guide and it made no difference to him who else came along. With that, we continued on.

Mercutio lead us down winding streets, through back alleyways and past older looking building that had been abandoned for Gods know how long. As we traveled, the way grew dim and I began to notice the path sloping downward. We entered tunnels that looked less and less man-made and more like caverns. I started to wonder if we were still even in Mach-Corvin, it felt like we had traveled so far. I tested, trying to cast a simple spell but nothing happened. My mark was still active so we had to be within the walls of the city.

The surrounding caverns were littered with glowing crystals that lit our path until we reached a rickety old bridge spanning a large ravine. On the other side sat an imposing looking fortress, older than anything I'd ever seen. How was something like this under the city? It didn't match any of the surrounding area. In fact, it almost looked like it had fallen from the surface. One side was collapsed in on itself and apart from the crystals, there appeared to be no other light sources around or inside. Was one of the Nine really in a place like this?

"Melpomene's in there." Mercutio said, leaning against a rock beside the bridge. "But this is as far as I go."

I thanked him, trying to keep an air of professionalism and asked if he would still be there when we came back. He didn't answer, just stared at me with narrow eyes. Fair enough. The path we'd taken to get here had been fairly straightforward. We would be fine finding our way back if need be. As we started to cross the bridge, Mercutio finally spoke.

"You're not going to like what you see."

Crossing the bridge felt a little dodgy. It swayed with each step we took and for a few moments I worried it might give way underneath us. Foolishly, I looked down into the chasm. It stretched deep into the earth, into an inky blackness that would swallow anything that fell into it. I moved a little quicker across the bridge. On the other side, we approached the fortress. It was much larger than we'd originally thought. It looked like an ancient castle, worn down heavily from time and the elements. Oddly, the main door seemed in good repair, as though maintained though supernatural means. Domaug grabbed hold of the door's large handle and heaved with all his might. It creaked loudly on its hinges as if to signal our arrival.

Despite the appearance outside, inside was in fact dimly lit. Some fat candles sat burning on nearby stands and small glowing orbs scattered around on various surfaces. Light spells if I were to guess. The air around smelled heavily of musk and mold and upon closer inspection there was a fine film of dust over everything. I began to wonder again if Mercutio had really brought us to the right place or if this was some manner of payback for our exchange back in Paradise.

There was nothing else we could do at the moment expect explore. We walked slowly down the main hall, not entirely sure if we going in the right direction but something drew our feet there. We passed by abandoned rooms, filled with broken furniture and random junk. More light spells were littered around, lighting rooms in unnecessary ways. It was as if someone had lit of the rooms in an attempt to cast out as much darkness as possible. Finally at the end of a hallway we came to a large red door, the first closed door we'd encountered. It was almost glowing in the dim surroundings.

As we approached, it slowly opened and a young woman stepped out. She was dressed in silky clothes like those of a dancer. Her expression seemed pained. When she noticed us it changed sour, her gaze mostly falling to Calliope.

"You. What are you doing here?"

Calliope was silent, looking away in what looked like guilt. I stepped forward introducing myself and my companions, saying that we were there to see Melpomene. The woman glared at me and demanded to know why. I told her we'd been sent by the Archon to deliver some news. I was hesitant to say what that news was, unsure if this woman was the one we were looking for. She frowned and said that any news we had for Melpomene we could tell her, stating that she was Melpomene's twin sister, Thalia.

I told her that the news we had was very personal and should only really be for Melpomene. Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned and saw Calliope. She asked that Thalia let us pass, to let us see Melpomene. She  sounded so different than how I'd heard her speak before. There was a weakness in her voice, a deep saddness. There seemed to be some tension between the two before Thalia conceded and moved aside to let us through.

"Fine. But I'll tell you now, she's in a mood. You're not going to like what you see."

Hearing that a second time, I really started to worry. There was something else going on that we didn't know about. Just what had we gotten ourselves into?

The room beyond the door was lit the same as the rest of the fortress; candles and orbs of light everywhere. Here it seemed to be more abundant, every surface covered in a lights giving the room a warm glow. In any other scenario I might find it comforting. It looked to be some kind of drawing room with various seats and couches. Large tapestries adorning the walls though many were torn, some even hanging precariously on their ropes, ready to fall given the slightest tug. At the back of the room, before a huge fireplace, was some kind of mound with a figure in the center. As we moved closer, we could see it was a woman.

Her face stood out like a beacon, caked in white makeup while her eyes were ringed with black. A knotted grey wig, coiled like the ones I've seen noble woman wear, sat crooked on her head. Upon closer inspection, The mound she was sitting in was made up of tattered robes and blankets. She clutched them to her chest with a bony hand. The woman was muttering low as we approached, her head ticking to the side with every few words. She took notice of us and began speaking louder and faster.

"Who dares to enter here? Intruders?! Intruders! Why are you here? Why have you come?! Go away! Leave! LEAVE!"

We stopped short and exchanged looks, unsure of how to continue. Calliope was quiet again, standing behind us all and looking forlorn. I never thought I'd see such a look from a woman like her. After a moment of silence, I gathered up my courage and began to approach, moving slowly and speaking gently so as not to alarm her further.

"Ma'am? We're... we're sorry to intrude--"

"Intrude? Intruders!  How did you come here?  Where did you go?  Tell me!  Tell me now!  No, it's not enough, HE was an intruder.  HE came along like a shadow from a candle's light.  Who are you?  What do you want?  Speak!  Speak!"

"No no ma'am!" This was going to be difficult. "We're here to... we're looking for Melpomene? Are... are you her?"

That was a stupid question to ask, of course this had to be her. But I panicked and just blurted out the first thing that came to mind. The woman paused, her head twitching around like a confused bird. Her eyes darted around, as though looking for something but unable to focus. "Melpomene. Melpomene. Yes. Yes. I am she. She is I. What do you want?" Her gaze focused back on me, her eyes narrowed. "Lamia? Lamia! Has Lamashtu sent you? Has she come for me?!  Darkness walks among you, how?  Leave!  No worshipers here, sin!  Sin!"

I tensed and bit my tongue. Any other time, any other person, I would've corrected them and said "cat-taur" but this time... I thought it best to let it slide.

"Ma'am..." I continued, trying to keep the conversation on track. "We're here because we have some bad news."

"Bad news? Bad news." She pondered this, her face frowning before lighting up in a child-like grin. "Bad news is good to some.  Good news is bad to others.  Duality.  Failure.  Madness.  Ah. But bad news comes with good news. What is the good news?"

I faltered for a moment. There was definitely something wrong with this woman. I wondered if it would be better to tell her a random lie rather than break the news about her daughter. No. No I couldn't do that. She had a right to know. I collected my thoughts and tried to think of the best way to break the news.

"It's... about your daughter, Eon."

Her twitching stopped. For a moment she just stared into the distance as if trying to recollect something. She repeated the name over and over again, her face slowly creasing as she began to frown again.

"The unwanted one? What of it?"

"Um... she's uh..." Best to just spit it out and be done with it. "I'm sorry to tell you but... she'd passed on. She's dead."

I braced myself, preparing for a volley of for tears or a fit of anger, something you would expect a parent to do upon hearing of their child's death. But Melpomene began to laugh. It started slow, like a hiccup, then her body began to shake and convulse as she began laughing hysterically.

"Dead?! Dead! That's good news! The unwanted one is dead? Good good news. You said there was bad news!  No bad, only good.  Duality, I say.  Remember?  Remember?  I said it.  Gone, gone!  Finally, reprieve."

I wasn't entirely sure how to respond at that point. "I... suppose the bad news is she didn't suffer?"

"No? Pity. Shame. But it's fine. The unwanted one is gone. And I still have the other. The Bright One. I still have that one. Everything is fine. Everything is fine. No bad, only good."

Melpomene continued to laugh. I didn't know what else to do or say, merely looking back at my companions with a confused stare. Calliope stepped forward and called out to her sister. Melpomene stopped abruptly. Her eyes grew wide and wild as she turned to face Calliope. She began to shriek and shot up from her nest of robes and blankets. She was naked beneath them and looked like a skeleton, every bone of her body just barely visible beneath thin white skin. She continued to shriek in hysteria, pointing a bony finger at her sister.

"YOU! YOU! HOW DARE YOU ENTER HERE! HOW DARE YOU! GET OUT! GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT!"

With every word objects around the room began levitating. They were flung in all directions, most coming towards us. Calliope could only mutter a few words before we retreated, slamming the door behind us. Inside there were more crashes as objects hit the door and walls. Over it all we could hear Melpomene, shrieking in rage then sobbing then laughing like a mad woman. We moved further down the hall to escape the chaos.

Once a good distance away, questions began. Ellisar started, asking Calliope what was wrong with her sister. I elbowed him, telling him it was rude to pry, but Calliope shook her head.

"No. No. You're involved now. You have a right to know."

She took a moment to collect her thoughts before she continued. In the past, Melpomene was quite the beauty, with many suitors fawning over her. She loved to be the center of attention but refused to decide on just one, always leading them on with her charm and looks. One suitor did not take no for an answer and... forced himself upon her. Eon was the result of that union and the experience broke Melpomene, physically and mentally. The Sisterhood had gathered together and decided to lock Melpomene away.

"It was to keep her safe." Calliope explained. "She was becoming a danger to herself and others. It was... the only option. We had no other choice."

Domaug stormed forward, confronting Calliope and towering over her. "No choice?" he bellowed, "No CHOICE?! She is FAMILY! You don't-- How long has she been like this?! How long have you all abandoned her?! You don't shut out family when they've been hurt. You don't hide them away out of shame! I respect you as a fellow warrior Calliope but to know that you would do something like this? Disgraceful."

Calliope opened her mouth to retort when behind us we could hear slow clapping. Emerging from down the hall was Thalia. She strode up between Domaug and Calliope, a smug smile on her face.

"Thank you orc. Thank you for saying what I've been saying for years! I was against this plan from the beginning! Melpomene needs help. That's all she's ever needed. Even outsiders can see this was not the right solution." She looked to Ellisar and myself, "What about you two? Would you care to share your thoughts on the matter?"

We were both quiet for a moment before Ellisar spoke up. "I actually know first hand what it's like to be shunned by your family. To be cast out. It's terrible. Horrible. I haven't let it bother me too much, I work fine on my own but... To see what it's done to her? That's just not right."

My views of family were different than most. I wasn’t sure just what to say, but I felt I had to say something. "I... don't think it's my place to comment on family. I never knew my biological family. But the people that I grew up with in the orphanage, the woman there who raised me... I would help them in a heartbeat if they were in trouble. And I know they would do the same for me. That poor woman is suffering. She needs help. This... this is not help."

Thalia seemed pleased with our answers and returned her attention to her sister. She told her it was time they reevaluated Melpomene. Calliope countered saying it wasn't their place to decide. Thalia agreed and said they would go back to Polyhymnia and let her decide. She added that the three of us join as well. I was hesitant. This was most definitely a family matter that we had no business poking our noses into but Thalia was insistent since we had seen the state Melpomene was currently in.

When we left the fortress Mercutio and LeFou were nowhere to be seen. I really shouldn't have been surprised. It had only been his job to lead us here, Polyhymnia didn't say anything about guiding us back. I did have to wonder what exactly his relationship with Melpomene was. He knew where she was when her sisters didn't. He also knew the state she was currently in. My curiosity was getting the better of me. I wanted to know! But those questions would just have to wait for another day. For now, it was time to head back to the Archon.

When we arrived back at the temple, we went straight to Polyhymnia's chamber. She seemed confused as to why we had returned. I guess she had expected us to just go back to the guild to turn in the quest. Then she noticed that Calliope and Thalia were with us and once more I saw a small wrinkle of annoyance crease her forehead.

She tried to keep up her composure, asking the two sisters why they'd come. Thalia was the most vocal, immediately jumping to the reason. The crease grew deeper on Polyhymnia's head. Against our better judgement, we all chimed in with our thoughts on the matter, Domaug most of all. I hadn't pinned him as one who would care so much about family. Being hounded on all sides Polyhymnia finally snapped. The three of us were ejected rather forcefully from the room with the comment that she would discuss with her sisters what needed to be done. Alone. Our role was done and our presence was no longer required.

There was still time left in the day so we decided to head back to Swanne and see if there was another quest for us. Really anything to escape this family's drama would be welcome.

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[nims-journal]

The Amulet

It had felt like so much time had passed before we were able to finally to get back to our original quest. I thought about stopping back at the Guild to talk to Swanne about possibly reviewing the quests submitted to the Guild a little closer but decided it would be best to just finish the last one. We could talk to her afterwards.

Dr. Adalwitz's home was located in the upper class section of the city. Standing on his doorstep was a posh looking butler, waiting patiently for our arrival. I appolgized for making him wait, worrying that the poor man had been made to stand outside and wait for us for who knows how long. He laughed it off and assured us he hadn't been waiting long.

He got right to business after that. He told us that Dr. Adalwitz had a family heirloom of an amulet made out of bone. It had been kept in the doctor's room but a few nights ago it vanished. There were reports of guards seeing someone climbing on the wall just outside the doctor's window and tracks had lead to a small, run-down shack by the Whispering Wood. The butler believed the amulet was there but could not leave himself to fetch it. It all seemed fairly straight forward, especially considering what we'd already gone through. We told him we'd return as soon as possible with the amulet and made our way back to the city gates.

As we walked, Keliege voiced some concerns. There were some things about this quest didn't add up to him. If guards had seen someone climbing up the doctor's wall, why hadn't they done anything about it right away? And if they'd tracked the thief to a shack outside the walls, why hadn't they found the amulet? And if the amulet belonged to the doctor, why had his butler put in the request and not the doctor himself?

"This all seems really fishy to me. I think we're being set up for something."

I'll admit, Keliege's words made sense to me. And considering the circumstances with our previous quest I was wary as well. But I don't like to make assumptions and believe the worst. Perhaps the guards had done something about the suspect climbing around but found nothing stolen at the time. Perhaps they'd found the shack but didn't find the amulet so the butler wanted us to search again. Perhaps Dr. Adalwitz didn't even know his amulet had been stolen and the butler was trying to get it back discretely before it was noticed. All perfectly reasonable explanations and I hoped that I was right. I was not in the mood for more surprises.

Back outside the walls, we made our way to the edge of the Whispering Wood. The direction the butler had pointed us in was in the opposite direction of the menagerie cave. After a short walk, Ellisar brought attention to a disturbance in the brush. Something that looked like an overgrown path. He took point, leading us through the underbrush. The woods seemed to grow darker and darker as we traveled. They were eerily silent as well, not a bird or beast could be heard. I started to feel a little on edge.

Before long we found the shack, broken down and looking like it could fall over at any minute. There was a small shaft of light gleaming down on it through the canopy, like a beam of hope in the midst of the forest gloom. Cautiously we entered. It was larger on the inside than it looked. As if that weren't strange enough, there was also a dilapidated pipe organ sitting in the corner. Of all the things to be in an abandoned shack in the woods, a large musical instrument was not one I'd think we'd find. I felt a tingle in the air; there was something magic nearby. I kept forgetting that outside the city walls, my mark was void and I had access to my spells. I paused for a moment, focusing intently so as to pinpoint the source.

There was a small mound of... something on the ground near one of the walls of the shack. I couldn't quite make out what it was in the gloom, but it smelled foul. Ellisar and Keliege volunteered to investigate. The mound turned out to be the remains of a corpse, looking as though it'd been burned from the inside out. After a little poking around, they discovered a necklace with a large medallion made out of bone. It matched the description of the heirloom we were looking for; a disk made out of done etched with a skull impression with two small skeletal hands attached to a thin strip of leather.

That seemed almost too easy but we were all anxious to get back to town. The others seemed to be getting uneasy as well in this unnatural setting. Ellisar pocketed it and we began to leave but as we passed the threshold we heard the sound of something hitting the ground. The amulet he had packed in his pocket was lying on the ground. Confused, he picked up it again and tried walking out with it in his hand. The amulet seemed to phase through his hand the moment he walked through the doorway and clattered to the ground.

The four of us were quite confused. My companions asked me if there was some kind of magic at work as that was my area of expertise but I'd never encountered anything like this before. The magic I felt from the amulet had a necromatic feel to it but there was something else that made my hair stand on end.

"What if I put it on..."

Before I could stop him, Ellisar placed the amulet around his neck. I was about to reprimand him for putting on something that not only didn't belong to him but also had some kind of strange magic on it when suddenly the old organ behind us began to play. The music was slow and disjointed at first, before building up louder and more ominous. Around us the shed began to melt away, leaving us standing in a shadowy realm full of scattered bones.

Before us appeared a black, robed figure with no visible face. It appeared to be suspended upside-down from the ceiling in strange chains; black ichor dripping from them and pooling beneath it. Sigils marked the nearby area in a language I'd never seen before. For a moment we all just stared dumbfounded before the figure took notice of us and began to speak.

"Why? Why have you come to this place? You should not be here. Leave! Quickly! He is coming!"

Ellisar asked of whom the figure was speaking of but before he could answer, a clawed grey hand emerged from the figure's head. It extended out into an arm that bend back and covered the figure's "face", silencing it. A new voice echoed out from within, deep and resonating.

"Ah ah. Don't give it away so soon. All will be revealed in due time. Let me greet our new guests first."

From the first figure came another, looking almost exactly the same; a faceless robed being. He dropped to the ground soundlessly and moved towards us like a shadow. He stopped before Ellisar and reached out to touch the amulet, his hand passing right through him. The figure chuckled and commented that it was interesting that Ellisar had chose to wear the amulet, claiming there were not many that could survive its... effects. Keliege scowled beside me, muttering that he knew he was right. We had been set up. The robed figure turned to the rest of us.

"So strange that it brought ALL of you though. Only one should've been brought to this place. I wonder what it is that keeps you all connected."

The figure confronted each of us, reaching out and trying to touch us but each time his hand passed through. When he reached though me, I could feel a stinging coldness that made my fur stand on end. All the while, the figure kept calmly remarking on how very interesting an entire group had been brought there. Domaug seemed to have had enough of the figure’s musings and demanded to know what exactly it wanted from us. He only laughed and told us all we'd know soon enough.

"I believe we will all be meeting again very, very soon. I look forward to it."

With that, the figure vanished. As he did, the field of bones shimmered and melted away, returning us to the small shack we'd been in before. I immediately ran to Ellisar and told him to take off the amulet right away. He tried, but it seemed to be stuck to him. With no other option, we decided our best bet was to go back to Mach-Corvin and attempt to return the amulet to Doctor Adalwitz. Perhaps he could shed some light on our current predicament. Keliege was still convinced this had all been some kind of set up. He claimed he'd never even heard of a Doctor Adalwitz until today and he'd lived in Mach-Corvin for years.

It would seem that Keliege's doubts were well founded. When we arrived back in Mach-Corvin and made our back to Doctor Adalwitz's house, we found the home to be abandoned. By the looks of it, it'd been like that for some time. Keliege began ranting about how he'd been right, that'd we'd been set up and Gods only knew what exactly those figures had been and what they were planning. I asked Ellisar how he was feeling as he was still wearing the amulet. He said he felt fine and I wondered if maybe there was something else we were missing.

I asked if I could take a closer look at the amulet, Ellisar nodding and lifting it so I could see. I could make out some small engravings around the edges but as I've said in the past; runes were never my strong suit. I tried to turn the amulet to get a closer look when it suddenly vanished from Ellisar's neck. I jumped back, startled by the disappearance. Ellisar was staring at me, or rather, at my neck. Cautiously I placed a hand there. The amulet was now on me.

"I think..." Ellisar said, "we should go see Magatha."

We headed straight for Magatha's tent. Domaug offered to try touching the amulet next to see if it would jump to him but I declined. Strange magical items like this, it would be wise to not play around with it further before we knew more. Magatha seemed to be quite knowledgeable about strange things. If anyone knew something, it would be her.

She was still in her tent when we arrived, working over her cauldron. Like before, she didn't acknowledge us when we walked in. I took a step forward and addressed her, asking if she could help us with a strange magic item we'd found. She stopped what she was doing, looking a little annoyed at being disturbed, and began inspecting the amulet around my neck, poking it with walking stick. Quickly Ellisar spoke up saying to be careful touching it as the item had 'jumped' from him to me. At that she raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Haven't heard of magic items 'jumping' to other people like that."

We also asked if she knew anything about runes, showing her a sketch from memory of the runes we'd seen in the shack as well as showing her the runes on the amulet. Magatha looked over our crude sketch, her one good eye narrowing and her brow furrowing. Finally she sighed and suggested we go to The Seat of Knowledge, the largest library in Mach-Corvin. In charge of the library was another of the Sisterhood: Clio.

"If this is written correctly, then it's written in a very, VERY old language. If anyone would know what it says, it would be Clio."

Before we could leave, Magatha approached me.

"Do you know anything about enchantments, lamia?"

I flinched, muttering "Cat-taur" under my breath before properly responding to her. "I'm familiar with some of the common ones for weapons and armor."

Magatha huffed and shook her head a little. "Hrm, well then I'll make it simple for you. That thing has an extremely old and powerful enchantment on it known as 'Death's Ward'. Care to take a guess at what it does?"

"W-wards death?"

She frowned. "Aye. If you were to fall in battle, the next living thing near you will die instead and you will take their soul to be revived." Her gaze passed over the rest of my teammates before falling back on me. "You'd best use caution in battle. Who knows who you might take down."

We left after that, my companions suddenly walking a little further away from me. I tried to ignore it and focus on the task at hand. If we could decipher the runes on the amulet, perhaps we could figure out how to remove it before there were any... mishaps.

The library was the most impressive place I've ever seen. We found Clio at the top floor, surrounded by many books and scrolls. Compared to the other sisters, she seemed very small, wearing a strange feathered mask and a many layered robe. She reminded me a little of a porcelain doll. Beside her on the floor was a young albino boy, sitting quietly reading books.

At least, I thought he was reading them. As we got closer I could see his eyes were staring blankly forward as he ran one hand over the pages of the book in his lap. We were ignored by the pair until we showed Clio the runes we'd seen. That got her interest. After studying the runes for a few minutes she informed us it was indeed written in an ancient language. The main body of the runes roughly translated into "Vitam Aeternam" meaning "Eternal Life". Another separate rune translated to "Pharazael".

"That name. I'm not too familiar with but it sounds like a connection to Pharasma. I would suggest asking my sister Polyhymnia. She is a high cleric of Pharasma after all."

We were a little hesitant to go back to the Archon so soon after seeing her, but there didn't seem to be any other choice. We headed back to the Faces of the Gods and were greeted again by Kyrie and Elaison. They seemed a little surprised by our sudden return. Random adventurers like us were not normal guests for someone like her. I told them we'd been sent here by Clio and needed the Archon's knowledge of Pharasma as it may have a connection to our current... predicament.

The two conceded and brought us before the Archon was again. Though her expression didn't change, she had a slight air of annoyance about her. When asked why we had returned so soon, we told her we had a run in with some kind of specter out in the Whispering Wood that had teleported us to a strange dimension of bones. The mention of this bone dimension caught Polyhymnia's attention. I think her expression actually changed.

"That sounds like... the Boneyard. That is Pharasma's domain, where souls are brought and judged. And you're saying this specter just... teleported you there? And then brought you back?"

I nodded then brought her attention to the amulet on my neck, telling her how it had originally been on Ellisar before I touched it. I also told her of the translation of the runes Clio had given us. That did not seem to improve the Archon's mood.

"Pharazael." she repeated. "That is a name I did not think I would ever hear again."

"You're familair with him?" Ellisar asked.

"Yes. He was Pharasma's First Psychopomp, the first Guide of the Dead. He went rogue in his duties, stopped delivering the souls to the afterlife for judgement. Then he instigated a war among the Gods. It was... over twenty thousand years ago. He was supposed to be sealed." She paused and I think I saw just the slightest of creases in her brow. "I have much to think about with this new information."

We were dismissed afterwards. I wanted to ask her more about the amulet, and more specifically if there was a way to remove it but it looked as though the Archon had enough on her plate. With all this new information to take in, we decided it would be best to just head back to the inn and rest for the night. Tomorrow we would go back to the guild and speak with Swanne. Hopefully I can talk to her about getting a better screening process for their quests.

At the inn, I tended a little further to Domaug's injuries from his encounter with 'Him'. Thankfully they seemed to be healing nicely. Domaug said something about feeling very drained. I wasn't surprised. In the short time we've been together, today had been the most action we'd seen. Up until now we'd been doing such simple tasks; helping farmers, finding lost items, filling in for those that could not work. But today seemed to be the day when everything was dumped onto us. Even though I've only been in this city a few days, it feels as if I've been here for so much longer. I've grown accustomed to life within the walls, being cut off from my magic and speaking with Cayden.

It's been too long since I've communed with him. I needed to do that again.

Ellisar and Keliege eventually bedded down as well. I moved to my little corner of the room and set myself up in front of the little shrine I'd made for Cayden. It wasn't anything fancy but it was the best I could do for traveling. I tried to get my thoughts in order, tried to fight through the cloud in my mind so that Cayden might hear me. Fruitless I know because of the mark, but it felt good to try. I thought about everything that had happened to me since coming to Mach-Corvin. About all the people I've met, so many different people. It felt wonderful. I thought about everyone I'd helped and those that I couldn't. And then my thoughts drifted back to my main reason for even coming to this city; my blood oath.

My right hand twitched a little as I thought about it. Such a foolish thing to do. But there was nothing I could do now but try and complete it. My only clue was the Adventurer's Guild. Perhaps in the morning I could start searching for more clues.

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[nims-journal]

Meeting Magatha

We all ran as quickly as we could. Even with the additional weight, I was still faster than the rest and reached the city gates first. I was given some odd looks from the guards at the gate. Wasn't surprising given the load I was carrying. I asked to speak with whomever was in charge; telling them that I had important information about a recent missing person.

To my surprise, it was Calliope that answered the call. When she asked what this was all about I told her it was about the missing girl Eon.

"Eon? She's my niece. Have you found her?"

"Well yes but, I'm afraid I have some bad news."

I gestured to the bodies on my back and asked if there was somewhere private we could speak. By then the rest of my companions arrived. We were ushered into Calliope's office. Once inside, I began my tale.

"We were given a quest by the Guild to take care of some rabid animals in a menagerie located in a cave out in the Whispering Wood. The client that submitted the request chose to be anonymous. When we arrived, it turned out to be a drow man. He had us fight several creatures, at first claiming it was because they had gone rabid from a disease. I suspect though it was more for just entertainment.

"The last cage we were brought to... there's no easy way of saying this ma'am. Eon was being kept in there. She had been mutated by something, we're not sure what. He claimed she came to him like that but he could've been lying. She was afraid and in terrible pain. When I asked her who did this to her all she told me it was the 'Dark One'. Afterwards she--"

My chest tightened as I recalled Eon's pleading eyes, "She asked us to kill her. I'm... I'm sorry. It was a painless death. She did not suffer in the end."

Domaug took over, telling Calliope that he had been the one to put Eon out of her misery and had also killed 'Him'. Ellisar added that the guard might want to investigate the cave as there were a lot of alchemical things about as well as a drider roaming the deeper parts.

Calliope was silent for a while, gazing down at Eon's body with a look of deep sorrow. Finally she spoke. She thanked us for bringing Eon back, even though she was dead. She said she would send some of the guard to clear out the cave and bring back anything that looked important. She then asked us to go with her and bring Eon and 'Him' to the Archon; head of the Sisterhood and leader of Mach-Corvin.

"She is also my sister." Calliope added as we headed for the Faces of the Gods temple.

"Oh, then is she Eon's...?"

"No. She is not." Calliope answered a little too quickly. I decided to leave it at that.

As we started to make our way to the temple, Kiri, Sarah, Gregory and Nossirah confronted me. They were all a little overwhelmed by our most recent ordeal and had decided they were taking their leave from the group. I can't say I blamed them. This was a lot to have taken in, especially for adventurers just starting out. I told them they were free to do whatever they wanted and there would always be a place for them should they wish to come back. In the back of my mind, I thought of Echo and hoped that where ever he was, he was doing well. Now it is only myself, Domaug, Ellisar and Keilege.

At the Faces of the Gods, we were greeted by Kyrie and Elaison, the elven twins. Calliope informed them that we were there to see the Archon. They seemed hesitant at first but eventually conceded. They lead us to the back of the temple whereupon we were greeted by the Archon herself, Polyhymnia.

She was a towering woman with an almost ethereal look to her. I believe her kind are known as angel-kin; Aasimar. She was dressed in clerical vestments, with symbols I recognized as dedicated to of the goddess Pharasma. She spoke in a calm manner, asking why Calliope had brought such a... diverse group to her chambers. We repeated our story and showed her the bodies.

As I retold our story, Polyhymnia studied the two. We had placed Eon on a nearby altar but 'Him' remained on my back. Thank Cayden the spell I'd cast lasts for a while. After a moment, Polyhymnia looked up and told us what had been done to Eon looked to be the work of a demon. She then asked to see the drow. She studied the body and placed a hand upon his forehead. A spiral appeared where her hand had been.

"You would be wise to drop that body, lamia."

Before I could correct her, 'Him's body began to convulse. I dropped him without a second thought and jumped out the way as his body erupted into flames. From their purity and intensity, I knew just what had happened. 'Him' had been judged by the spiral of Pharasma and sent to the cleansing fires of Sarenrae. A fitting punishment I'd say.

Polyhymnia dismissed us after that, saying she would take care of Eon's body. As we left, Calliope still seemed bothered by something. When I asked her what was wrong, she said some things didn't quite add up for her. She asked again about the alchemy lab we'd seen in the cave but none of us had much knowledge about the craft. She suggested we speak with an expert.

A short trip into the market area of Mach-corvin, we arrived at a rather impressive looking tent. Inside was filled with a variety of ingredients, some I was familiar with and others I'd never seen before. Beakers and vials bubbled away with gods know what and at the back we could see the shape of a woman hunched over a large caldron. For a few moments we just stood at the entrance of the tent, not wanting to disturb the woman as she worked. Finally the woman spoke up.

"Rather rude to just stand and stare in someone's doorway. I'd have thought you'd learned some manners by now child."

She turned to face us. The woman was much older than I'd expected, her face scrunched and wrinkled with one bludging eye that seemed to have a mind of its own. Calliope introduced her as Magatha, the best alchemist in all of Mach-corvin.

"The ONLY alchemist in Mach-corvin." Magatha corrected, sounding very smug as she beckoned us closer, all the while looking us over with the level of scrutiny only an old person could have. She lingered on me for a moment. "Strange to see a lamia in this area."

A tensed a little. The subject of my race has always been a rather sensitive subject for me. But I tried to smile and politely corrected her. "Cat-taur ma'am."

The old woman huffed a little before dismissing my comment and directing her attention back to Calliope. She asked why we had come with a tone in her voice that almost sounded like she already knew the reason. Calliope kept her explanation short, saying that her niece had been held captive by a drow and mutated in some way. There had been an alchemy station in the cave he'd been in and she suspected that he may have used something there to change her. Magatha considered this then announced that she would need to see the alchemy station to get a better idea of what she was dealing with. We told her that the station was located in a cave by the Whispering Wood and that there was still a drider and several other unknown creatures inside. She waved off our warnings and just began walking, pausing only briefly to grab a gnarled looking walking stick by the entrance of her tent. Calliope gave us a sympathetic look and told us we'd be wise to just go with her.

"When Magatha sets her mind to something, there's no stopping her. You'd be wise to just stick with her. I'm going to go back to speak with my sister."

Begrudgingly we followed. I will admit I was torn about the whole thing. I wanted to know more about what happened to Eon and help in anyway I could, but at the same time we still had another quest from the guild we needed to complete. I hoped that this little distraction wouldn't be too long.

When we arrived at the cave, there were several guards already clearing out the remaining monsters and making their way towards the back. Magatha ignored them all as they tried to warn her of the dangers in the cave and marched right towards the alchemy station. She then began searching through, haphazardly tossing vials away that were of no interest in her search. We merely stood and watched, occasionally dodging as a vial or bottle was thrown in our direction. Finally she pulled out a small silver box.

"Ah. This. This seems like it is important."

Inside was a small vial of black liquid. She stared at it, bringing the vial close to her one squinting eye, the other still rolling around on its own. She placed the vial back in its box and loudly announced she had all she needed before marching back out of the cave. She didn't even pause to see we were coming along. I was beginning to question just how much we needed to be here.

When we arrived back in Mach-corvin I expected to go back to Magatha's tent but instead we headed for the tavern. When I asked her why she merely replied that if this concoction was demonic in origin, she needed someone to confirm it and the tavern had just the person. Inside was busy, I had never seen so many people in the tavern at once. Magatha took one look around, announced there were too many people and slammed the end of her walking stick into the floor. In an instant, everyone except for ourselves, Ruben and the barmaid were turned to stone.

Perhaps the reason Calliope wanted us to stay with Magatha was to keep her in check. The woman was very... forceful.

She approached Ruben and the barmaid, a woman by the name of Desiree. The few times I'd come to the tavern I didn't have much interaction with her. She seemed like a nice enough woman though, using the gifts given to her by nature to gain more tips from the male patrons. Ruben started hollering at Magatha, telling her she couldn't just come into his tavern and do whatever she wanted. She simply looked at him and said, "Ruben I respect ya but I don't need to talk to you right now." before snapping her fingers and putting the man right to sleep.

She approached Desiree next, asking her just how many patrons of the bar she'd sucked dry while here. Desiree didn't seem to be phased by Magatha's earlier actions and instead started arguing with her. The two traded harsh words and none of us wanted to intervene. After seeing what Magatha was capable of, we decided it was best to just let the two settle themselves. I was curious as to what a simple barmaid could know about demonic potions.

Magatha sighed and tapped Desiree's foot with her walking stick. For a moment, her figure seemed to shimmer before fading away and revealing her true appearance: a succubus.

Some things started making sense.

"I getting tired of all this. I know what you are and unless you want the rest of your clients to know as well," she held out the vial, "you'll tell me what I want to know."

Desiree scowled but snatched the vial. She gave it a sniff before taking a swig. She shuddered a bit before her arm began to grow black scales similar to those that had been on Eon. The scales didn't last long as Desiree just shook her arm causing them to fall away like they were raindrops.

"You said this came from a drow? Well it's definitely from a demon. An extremely powerful one. An arch-demon if I'm not mistaken. But which one, I couldn't tell you. It's not one that I'm familiar with."

Magatha seemed satisfied with that and began to leave. She motioned for us to follow, whispering as we left that we would be wise to keep what we'd seen in the tavern a secret. "Never a good idea to mess with succubi."

As we walked back to Magatha’s tent she told us that now that she knew where the vial had come from, she’d be able to create something that would purify Eon's body and drive out whatever demonic presence was still within her so that her soul could move on. She then added that we were no longer needed that that we should go back to doing whatever it was we were doing before. She would summon us if she needed us again.

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[nims-journal]

The Menagerie

Spring 736

Day Four in Mach-corvin

I slept like a log that night, all the excitement of yesterday really put me out. It'd been a long time since I'd done so much magic, especially since coming to Mach-corvin. Our room at the inn had become a little cramped with the newer additions. As I looked around, I felt almost like was I back at the orphanage. There were so many children there of all different races. I think I may be feeling a little homesick.

By mid-morning everyone had awoken. There was still no sign of Echo. I think he may have moved on to other things. We headed back to the Guild to turn in our report from the wall and get our next quest. Swanne seemed very excited when we arrived. It looked like we had only two quests left before we could move up to Rank Two. The first quest sounded much like our others; a butler working under a Doctor Adalwitz (locally known also as Dr. Wiggles) requested our assistance in finding a lost heirloom of said doctor. The other quest was sent in from an anonymous source; outside the city, near the Whispering Wood, there was a cave housing a menagerie. Several of the animals inside had gone rabid and we were required to deal with them.

Swanne told us we could perform them in any order we wanted. I suggested doing the doctor's request as that sounded simple and was right in town but I believe Domaug was still itching for a fight, having missed out on one last night. A few of the others agreed that they also wanted to get out of the city and see some real action. With that settled, we got directions to the cave and headed out.

It was nice to get out of the city and stretch our legs. We followed the outer wall before reaching the edge of the Whispering Wood. It didn't take us long to find the cave. There was a rather large opening with a small set of wind chimes on the outer edge. There were no other signs of the cave being otherwise occupied. We decided to use caution as we entered. I hoped that the animals inside hadn't gotten to the owners.

It was very dark inside so myself and Domaug, with eyes well suited for the darkness, took the lead. As we ventured further in, we found a rather impressive alchemy set up. Several tables and shelves set up with vials and beakers, all bubbling and fuming with strange concoctions. Someone had definitely been here recently. I spotted some runes on the ground nearby. Runes were never my strong suit when it came to my magical studies but I was able to at least make out the language they were written in: Drow.

When I mentioned this to my companions, Ellisar tensed up. I wasn’t surprised, the elves and the drow weren’t exactly know for being friendly with one another. I told everyone to be cautious and try to step around where the runes were but it was next to impossible as they were right in the path we needed to proceed up. Before I had a chance to look for another way around, the trap had been sprung. A large cage of what looked like huge rib bones shot up from the ground and surrounded us. Domaug and Nosirrah tried to break their way out but the bones proved to be too strong. In the distance we heard footsteps. I called out, saying we were from the guild and meant no harm. Perhaps this trap had been meant as some kind of deterrent for trespassers and we had stumbled into it by accident.

From shadows, emerged a drow man, tall and with long slicked back white hair. He eyed the cage with a smug grin stating he hadn't been expecting a group from the guild so soon. He released us from the cage and beckoned us forward. Ellisar was still on edge. He grabbed my shoulder and whispered in my ear,

"Be on your guard. Drow men are never left alone. There's got to be a woman around somewhere giving him orders."

I nodded and turned my attention to our client. I asked for his name, saying that I would like to know with whom it was I would be working under. He responded by saying 'Him' would be sufficient. I should've known it wouldn't be that easy.

'Him' continued on, saying that several of the creatures in his menagerie had caught some kind of disease that was causing them to go rabid. He had them blocked off in their cages and wanted us to go in and dispose of them. Kiri objected, not wanting to harm any innocent animals. She asked whether or not he'd even tried to cure them of the disease before he came to such a decision. Her question was shrugged off, 'Him' saying that nothing he did seemed to work and that we were all more than welcome to just leave if we didn't think we were up to the task.

Kiri wasn't too happy but agreed to come along with the rest of us, if only to make sure the animals were put down as painlessly as possible. The first room 'Him' lead us to held several large centipedes. Before we really had a chance to properly prepare ourselves, we were ushered in and the door was locked behind us. The centipedes swarmed immediately but Domaug and Nosirrah did a good job keeping them at bay while Kiri, Sarah and Keilege focused on ranged attacks. Gregory and myself kept them all healed and protected as best as we could. We weren't prepared for creatures with venom and those vermin were full of it. Nosirrah got bit but was able to fight the creature off, giving it quite the fright. I'd never seen a centipede flee in fear before. Didn't know they could burrow so quickly either.

With the other centipedes taken care of, 'Him' unlocked the door and stepped inside. He said he was pleased with our work though a little disappointed that one had gotten away. He walked over to the hole the creature had dug and let loose a fireball.

Didn't know centipedes could scream either.

Nosirrah was more than a little annoyed. He shouted at 'Him', saying if he could do something like that from the beginning, why did he need us? 'Him' just laughed and said it was more entertaining this way. He tossed a small vial at me and said it was for anyone who had gotten bitten. There were still two more rooms to visit and he wanted us in top fighting condition.

I didn't detect anything bad within the vial, it looked to be a standard anti-toxin, so I gave it do Nosirrah. He begrudgingly took it and we moved on to the next room. This time we weren't rushed in so quickly. 'Him' made a comment as we entered that they'd only really attack if we went into their territory. He failed to mention where exactly their territory was though. Inside the room were several large pools of what I hoped was water at the back. Everything was shrouded in darkness. We moved carefully around the edges of the room to try and get a better look.

Keilege lit a torch and tossed it into the center of the room to try and give those with weaker eyes some light. Unfortunately that seemed to have startled whatever was within those pools of water. Within seconds several... things... began writhing out of the water, clawing their way towards us with alarming speed.

They were foul looking creatures, like lumps of melted flesh that rose like pillars and ended with vicious fangs. The stench coming off them was nauseating. I felt like my head was swimming and I couldn’t focus at all. Luckily there were only four of them and Nosirrah and Domaug were able to finish them off quickly with little trouble. It was Sarah this time that spoke up as 'Him' unlocked the door to let us back out.

“These don’t seem like animals effected by a disease! Just what exactly is going on here?!”

‘Him’ merely shrugged and told us again that we were still more than free to leave if this was too difficult for us. We were only a Rank One group after all. But we were very close to finishing. There was only one cage left.

He brought us to the door and opened it, gesturing for us to enter. Inside was inky black, much like the rest of the rooms, but this one seemed unnaturally dark. I could just barely make out a huddled shape at the back of the room. We entered cautiously, 'Him' actually following us inside rather than waiting outside the room as he'd done before.

"There's only one creature in here. I'm curious to see how you’ll handle it."

As we drew closer, the figure shifted and I could hear sounds of quiet sobbing. I held up my hand to signal the others to hold. Something didn't feel right. I moved in closer to get a better look.

...

...

Oh Cayden.

Oh great Gods in the heavens. The figure at the back. It was...

It was a woman. A young woman, she couldn't have been older than me. Her face; half mutated, hair thin and falling out in clumps. Black scales ran over most of her body. Her mouth torn, with fangs starting to protrude in wild directions from her gums. Her one arm, twisted, grotesque, covered in slick scales and horns. Thick fur covered her left arm, ending in a monstrous paw.

Slowly I approached her, moving quietly on velvet paws. When I got closer, she became aware of my presence and flinched away from me, curling into a tighter ball and shaking violently.

Her face. I couldn't stop staring. I'd seen her somewhere before but where...?

The Guild!

There'd been a bulletin board by the front entrance, covered in requests and missing persons fliers. Her face had been plastered there several times.

"Are you..." I began, stooping down to look her level in the face. "Are you Eon?"

The woman looked up, her one human eye piercing, thick tears streaming down from it. She nodded.

"What are you waiting for?" came a voice from the back. 'Him' was still there, waiting at the back of the room.

"What did you do to her?!" Kiri screamed, charging up to the drow and shaking her fists, her snake coiled around her and hissing as its master grew angry.

'Him' laughed. "I didn't do anything. This creature came to me."

There was more arguing behind me, the rest of the group surrounding 'Him' and demanding answers. Only myself and Domaug kept our attention to Eon. He moved closer to us as I continued to speak to her.

I took her hand, her human hand. She felt so cold. She was shaking like a leaf.

"Who did this to you?" I whispered as low as I could, staring into her human eye, trying to keep her calm.

Her voice was quiet and hoarse, "The... the dark one."

Domaug looked to 'Him', his face scrunching in anger. As I was about to press further, Eon squeezed my hand.

"Puh-please. Please! I-I-It hurts." She looked at me, pleading. "Please. K-kill me! Please!"

To ask such a thing. This poor child. I couldn't. To ask that of me? But... to end her suffering. It was all we could do. I looked to Domaug who nodded knowingly and moved behind her. His huge hands coming to rest on either side of her head, almost completely engulfing it. I looked her in eye and held firm onto her hand.

"It will be... as painless as possible."

She smiled. "Thank you."

SNAP

Eon's body was still upright, the mutated side of her still twitching slightly. Tears still streaming from her eye. Was that not enough? Domaug looked horrified. Behind us I could hear 'Him' laugh loudly. Domaug growled low and reached for his weapon. I grabbed his hand.

"Don't!"

"He did this to her." his eyes were fixated on 'Him'. I'd never seen such rage in him before.

"He is stronger than you. Stronger than all of us! It would be suicide to try!" I pleaded with him even though I knew my words fell on deaf ears. "Cayden says pick your battles and this is one you cannot win!"

Domaug rose, his hands tightening their grip on his weapon. "If I am to die, I will die fighting. That is the Orc way. He will pay for his actions." He looked down at me, a small glimmer in his eye. "When I move, run!"

It happened in a flash. I'd never seen an orc so large move so quickly. Giant hammer in hand, Domaug charged 'Him', the rest of our group around him dashing to get out of the way. He managed to catch 'Him' off guard with a swift hit. The entire room shook from the force of it. But it wasn't strong enough. 'Him' had been knocked back, thrown into a wall from the force of the hit. He was bleeding badly but he was still standing. In an instant, 'Him' was in front of Domaug, moving so fast I would swear he had teleported! There was a dagger in his hand and he plunged it into Domaug's chest. I cried out, my body frozen in fear. My heart was screaming for me to help but my brain told me to run.

Before anyone else could act, there was a yell. Nosirrah! He charged at 'Him' and swung his sword with all his strength. But in the darkness of this room, he couldn't see. He missed and stumbled, falling to the side. 'Him' merely smiled.

"Foolish, foolish adventurers. You just had to pick a fight."

'Him' yanked the dagger from Domaug's chest and swung at Nosirrah! I couldn't look away and watched in wide eyed horror.

...

Nosirrah must have the devil's luck.

It was all so fast, I'm not entirely sure how it happened. 'Him' went to swing at Nossirah, but he rolled out of the way just in time. The drow stumbled, lost his footing and fell right onto the dagger he was holding. Everything went silent. I scrambled over to Domaug and began channeling as much healing magic as I could muster, all the while muttering, "You stupid, stupid man."

The others helped Nossirah to his feet while Ellisar began to inspect 'Him's body.

"Looks like he's still breathing." Ellisar began to draw his sword but Domaug, now conscious shouted.

"NO! Don't touch him. He is MINE!"

I tried to keep Domaug still, his wounds had not fully closed, but he dragged himself over to the body. With one final swoop, he crushed the drow's head with his hammer like an egg.

In the distance we heard something skittering. Perhaps one of menagerie had gotten loose? I wasn’t ready to face anything else.

"Nim?" Ellisar grabbed hold of my shoulder, "You know how I said male drow are never left alone and there's always a woman? Well sometimes that woman is a little closer to Lolth than most. That sounds like a drider. We should leave."

For once Ellisar seemed to be taking things seriously. Taking a moment to collect myself, I shouted for everyone to head back to Mach-corvin. We would meet back at the Guild. I cast a spell upon myself to bolster my strength and put both Eon and 'Him's bodies on my back. I was going to make sure this poor girl got a decent burial and 'Him' would be needed as proof of a drow's involvement. When we got back to Mach-corvin, I would have to have some words with Swanne about accepting quests from anonymous sources.

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The Tenth Quest

Though we were tired from our performances, there was still some time in the day. We headed back to the Guild for our next quest. Swanne was excited to see us and said the next quest wasn't one normally given to Rank Ones. We had really been proving ourselves very well.

This next quest would take us to the wall surrounding the city where we'd be helping the nightwatch.

We were given some time to prep as we were not needed until the evening. Everyone decided to split up for the time being and take care of some personal business. I used the time to try to commune a little with Cayden at the temple. It’d been a while since I last spoke to him. I asked for his guidance and protection on the wall. I was unsure what to expect there but I felt better knowing Cayden would be watching over me. I felt a small warmth wash over me as I prayed and it filled me with a sense of purpose. I felt I was ready for anything!

By evening we all met back up and headed to the wall.

On the wall we met with the guard captain. He seemed a little disappointed that Rank Ones were sent but beggars can't be choosers. He asked what we knew of the Whispering Woods located just outside the city walls. Couldn't say I was familiar with them but a few of my companions were. There had been some rumors floating around about animals in the wood going rabid and whispers being heard on the wind that passes through the trees. People would go missing in the depths of the woods.

The captain told us that for the past month a Bandersnatch had been appearing out of the woods. It'd been growing more and more bold, stalking closer and closer towards the wall. Wards had been put up along the wall to prevent the townsfolk from hearing anything from the attacks, in an attempt to keep people from panicking, but the captain was worried that wouldn’t last for long. If the beast were to actually reach the walls, that would be the end.

The guards were going to take initiative and fight back at full strength before that could happen. While the troupes on the ground would do battle with it, he wanted us to help by manning several ballista on the wall. Two people would be required to operate them so we would have to form pairs. As everyone paired up, a thought occurred to me. I asked the captain if they had anyone aiding the ground troupes that had been injured. He told me that they had a few down below. I informed the captain that I was also a cleric and that I would be of better use on the ground near the troupes to help heal them (provided they removed my mark). He seemed a little hesitant, mostly for my sake it seems.

“No offense to you little lady but the front lines are not a place for someone like you.”

I assured him I was aware of the danger, that I would stay back and if needed I could run very fast. Gregory also volunteered to join me, saying that he would be useless with ballista but healing was something he was very good at.

The captain eventually agreed and directed us towards the gate at the base of the wall. I told everyone to be careful and they told me the same. When Gregory and I reached the base, we found not only soldiers preparing for battle but also Captain Calliope. She remembered me from the Gorda mansion and said she was glad to have another set of healers. I got my mark removed and began blessing as many soldiers as I could, bolstering their strength and courage. Gregory prepared his spells as well, getting ready heal any injured that would be brought to him.

The night was quiet. There was a stillness in the woods that had everyone feeling tense. Suddenly from the forest we heard a loud roar. The ground began to shake and the trees swayed back and forth as something enormous tore its way through. Above me, I could hear the voices of my companions shouting back. I don't think the beast was too impressed. It bounded from the woods, a huge beast with massive quills sticking out like tree trucks from its body. It was hard to judge from where I was standing how the battle is going. The balista from the wall seem to be doing a good job damaging the creature but many of the soldiers on the ground are looking bad.

Some managed to drag themselves back to the gates for healing. Gregory and I were doing everything we could to keep up, but there were so many out in the field that needed assistance. I couldn't sit idly by. I made a mad dash out onto the battle field. I've always been rather fast on my feet.

I gathered up as many soldiers as I could and shouted for others that needed help to get as close as they could. When enough were near, I let loose a channeling burst of healing magic. There were so many that my spell was spread a little thin, wasn't as strong as it could've been, but it was enough to get some of the soldiers back to their feet and back to fighting.

From above I could hear more ballista firing. The beast was getting wise to them and launched its own volley of quills onto the wall. Things were getting chaotic on the ground, the beast so much closer than I’d originally thought. I started draping wounded onto my back to carry back to the gates, my speed hampered a little by the extra weight. Above I heard more shouting, a familiar voice raising louder than the others.

Domaug.

He had struck me as the type of person who couldn't fight from the sidelines. He had to be right in thick of it. The mad-orc leapt down from the walls, his weapon in hand, and charged at the Bandersnatch. It was a valiant effort that sadly was a little too late. The ground troupes had done a significant amount of damage and managed to take down the beast just as Domaug finally reached it.

Calliope was there and commended Domaug on his spirit. She was a warrior too and knew all to well the frustration Domaug must’ve felt. She also thanked myself and Gregory for our aid. I was chastised a little for running out onto the battle field, Calliope saying I was lucky the beast had been so distracted. But I had helped so I was pleased. With the battle done, our group rejoined and we headed back to the inn for the night. It had been a very long day.

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The Ninth Quest

Heading back to the Guild, we were met by Swanne and... another adventurer to be added to out party.

Kiri, a Vanara druid by the looks of it. Had a constrictor snake with her.

I am beginning to suspect our group has been chosen as some kind of test group for unusual adventurers joining the guild.

As for our next quest, it sounded like a fairly easy one. There was a local acting troupe in the city that would be performing in the city square and they would require some stage hands. I was confident we'd be fine with that. We geared ourselves up and headed over to meet with the troupe leader.

Of course, nothing could be so easy for our group. Seems there was a bit of a miscommunication from Swanne. We were not needed as stage hands, we were needed for acts. After a little bit of discussion, we all figured out our best talents and took the the stage.

I watched mostly from the wings so it was a little hard to gauge the crowd from there but I certainly enjoyed watching some of it.

Keilege went first and attempted something involving puppets. Posing as a puppet himself he had Ellisar throw knives at the puppets and himself. I’m not entirely sure how the act was supposed to go but I don’t think it went they way Keilege wanted. Several audience members seemed terrified by Keilege's... appearance and became even more so once he started moving after Ellisar nailed him in the shin with one of the knives.

Sarah took to the stage next armed with a small knife and a giant pile of potatoes. The girl knows her way with a knife and dazzled the crowd by carving them into various animals of varying complexity. I suppose all those days spent working in the Paradise kitchen paid off.

Ellisar made an attempt with a bow and arrows, trying to hit a few targets while blindfolded. I think he needed a bit more practice. Missed more than he hit and I could swear I hear some faint screaming when one of his arrows misfired and shot out into the distance.

Gregory attempted a dance routine with Misha and two other raccoons he had "acquired". Not entirely sure where or when he even acquired them. It went... exactly how you'd think a dance routine of a man with three raccoons would go. Poorly. Misha ended up thrown into a wall and Not-Misha and Also-Not-Misha just restored to attacking Gregory and a few audience members.

Kiri tried her hand (paw?) at snake charming. The music was quite lovely but I believe her snake was having no part in it and just slithered away.

I took the stage next and attempted singing some of the songs I'd grown up with around the orphanage. I was a little out of practice though. No one seemed to appreciate my... caterwauling? But at least I didn't terrify anyone.

Domaug was able to wow the crowd by showing off his feats of strength. He looked like he was struggling a little bit but Nosirrah helped him out a bit.

Nosirrah ended the night with a reenactment of an old battle. The crowd seemed to enjoy it. Glad we were able to end the performance on a high note.

The troupe leader took to the stage at the end and as he gave his final speech, he asked us to all come back and introduce our group. It was then that I realized, we didn't actually have a name for our group. It was something we hadn't really thought of. But all good adventuring parties need a name right? A panicked a little and just spat out the first name I could think of.

We are now known as "The Crimson Wayfarers".

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The Eighth Quest

Swanne was disappointed to hear about us damaging property at the distillery. She worried it might reflect poorly on our group as we were still only Rank One. Regardless, she was quick to give us us our next assignment; the local university of Alma Ahm was in need of some substitute teachers.

I wasn't entirely sure adventurers would make for the best teachers in a university, but I was always willing to try something new. Upon arriving at the college, we went straight to speak with the headmistress, Urania.

She seemed a rather, stern woman. Reminded me a little of Calliope. She took one look at our... diverse group and looked a little skeptical but shrugged saying she was a little desperate at the moment. After a few quick questions she decided upon which subjects we'd teach.

I was given a Theology class. Nosirrah was to teach wrestling to a group of young athletes. Ellisar was given Philosophy and Gregory was given Tailoring. There was only one subject left; Illusion casting. Since he was the last one, that went to Domaug. I was a little worried but Domaug smiled (as best he could with that jaw of his) and said he would be fine. He'd seen shaman in his clan perform illusions before and he knew just what to do. That just made me worry more.

As we started to leave, Urania stopped me. She informed me that she'd received word from Swanne that two more from our group would be joining later. Keilege and Echo I assumed. She said she'd simply add them to the philosophy and tailoring class, as those two classes could be a little difficult for a single teacher. I thanked her then made my way to my classroom.

Teaching a Theology class wasn't as hard as I'd thought it would be. I suppose I was expected to teach more of the pantheon but I chose to go with my strongest topic and spent the afternoon teaching the word of Cayden. The students seemed to be really enjoying it and afterwards a few informed me that they were considering converting. Wonderful! Always nice to welcome more into Cayden's flock. As I left I hoped that my companions' classes went as well.

...

I'm beginning to think that there may be such a thing as being too optimistic. Upon meeting back at Urania's office I learned just how my companions classes had gone. It was not well.

Nosirrah had simply gotten the students to just brawl with one another rather than learning to wrestle properly. One student had apparently been knocked unconscious and somehow Nosirrah had managed to suplex himself! He wouldn’t go into the details but the welt on the back of his head was proof enough.

Gregory had been joined by Keilege in the tailoring class but the two of them just spent the entire time teaching with harsh criticism. Keilege apparently ripped one student's project with just a butter knife!

Ellisar faired no better. The second member of our team was not whom I was expecting. Miss Sarah from the Paradise soup kitchen had been inspired by our work and had wanted to join up. She met with Ellisar in the Philosophy class room where upon the two seemed to cause some kind of existential crisis among the students by simply asking them questions. One apparently turned into a bear and another started climbing the walls like he was possessed!

But the worst... oh Gods the worst. Domaug. His idea of illusions was not how shall we say, school approved. He had brought with him some "ritualistic artifact" of his tribe that allowed people to "see spirits" when certain plants were burned within it. Apparently Domaug used the wrong plants and summoned ACTUAL spirits into the classroom! Several were accosted by the spirits, one even being dragged down through the floor. Urania says it’ll take them all day to pry him back out.

Needless to say, Urania was not very pleased with us. Well, she seemed fine with my class though she was a little disappointed I didn't teach a more diverse lesson. She was also a little annoyed that I'd converted some of the students to Cayden's faith.

The day was not turning out to be the best for us. I hoped the next quest would be an easy one.

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The Seventh Quest

Spring, 736 Day Three in Mach-corvin

The following morning Ellisar had returned but now Keilege missing. Echo too was still gone. We decided that we would just have to carry on without them. Should they feel the need to rejoin us, I was sure they'd be able to find us.

The three of us headed over to the Guild. As we approached Swanne's station, we were greeted by two new looking adventurers. Swanne said that due to some messed up paperwork, these two had been left without a starting party so the Guild had decided to add them to our group. More's the merrier I say.

Nosirrah, looks like a human fighter. He seems pretty enthusiastic.

Gregory, not entirely sure what Gregory is. Looks like some kind of shaman? He's got a little raccoon with him he calls Misha.

Swanne suggested giving the two a "trial run" and bring them along on our next quest to see if they can mesh well with the group. Our next task would take us to the local distillery.

I suggested stopping by The Crooked Knee first so as to get to know our new companions better. Nosirrah tried to buddy up to Domaug. I guess fighters like to stick together? But Domaug was having none of it. I wish Nosirrah the best of luck, Domaug is a tough nut to crack.

Meanwhile, Gregory and I shared a drink. Or rather, Gregory ordered one of the strongest drinks Ruben had then gave it to Misha. Don't think I've ever seen a raccoon get drunk before. Poor thing. Perhaps it was some kind of shaman ritual I don't know about.

With the morning winding down, we decided it would be best to head to the distillery. We met with an old looking drunkard by the name of Mattrick. Said he was in charge. Looked to me like he'd been skimming the stock a little too much but then again, perhaps he was just sampling the fruits of his labors.

Either way, he gave us our tasks. A few things needed to be taken care of as they were short of staff. Several barrels needed to be loaded into some carts, a large vat of hops needed stirring and a fire needed to be stoked under one of the vats. After some careful thought, I assigned jobs to those that I thought would be well suited for the task:

For heavy lifting, Domaug was a must and Nosirrah looked at though he would be good as well. Perhaps the two of them working together would help Domaug get over his distrust of the "pale skins".

Though I don't like to judge based on outward appearance, Gregory looked a little frail to me. I didn't want him to strain himself too much so he and I would take up the task of bringing in wood for the fire.

That left Ellisar with the task of stirring the hops. I warned him to be careful, even though the task sounded easy it could prove difficult to one who is unaccustomed to it. Ellisar waved me off saying he'd be fine so we all set about getting to work.

I'm... not entirely sure what happened. Gregory and I made out perfectly fine bring in the wood for the fires. But the others... Ellisar nearly fell into the vat, a couple times from what I saw as I was going in and out. Nosirrah and Domaug just couldn't work together and a few barrels got broken. There was a little bit of arguing and some fighting but I moved quickly to settle it. I suppose it was a good choice to make me leader after all.

Brewing ale is something taught very seriously for those that study and worship under Cayden Cailean. It was a subject I was fairly good at. I instructed Gregory on about how much wood would be needed for the fire and asked him to continue without me. I then spoke with Domaug and Nosirrah. I told them they were part of a team now and needed to act like it. Finally I asked Ellisar to assist them, hoping that perhaps three heads would work better than the two.

Things went a little better after that. Felt a little embarrassed as after I'd delegated out all the tasks and took to stirring the hops myself, I slipped and nearly fell in head first. Luck (and Ellisar) were on my side though and I avoided a rather hot, hoppy bath.

When Gregory finished bringing in all the wood, he offered his assistance in moving some of the remaining barrels. He was able to guide them to an area for Ellisar, Domaug and Nosirrah to then lift onto the carts. By the end of the afternoon we'd successfully loaded up eight out of ten barrels.

Mattrick wasn't too happy about the broken barrels. Even less so when he found out Ellisar had thought to help "clean up" by tossing the remnants into the fire. I swear that elf is a trouble maker. I suggested he simply take it out of our reward than as it was our fault his property was damaged. My companions were not very happy about that but they would just have to manage. This is the cost of mistakes.

With a job done, we headed back to the Guild for out next assignment. Along the way, I spoke with Domaug and Ellisar about our two new companions. Ellisar seemed to think they were a fine addition but Domaug was still a little wary. He said he'd be willing to think about trying to get along with Nosirrah. I told him that's more than I could hope for.

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The Sixth Quest

We said our goodbyes and headed back to the guild. It was late afternoon when we arrived and there was still no sign of Ellisar and Echo. I hoped the two were keeping out of trouble. Swanne was quick to give us ou next quest, though it sounded a little… odd for adventurers. A casino called The Azalea Ambrosia Casino needed replacements for their evening entertainment so we would be filling in. Not entirely sure what an orc, a halfling and a cat-taur could offer as entertainment but we were willing to give it a try!

The request didn’t need to be filled until the evening so the three of us had a little free time. Keilege said he was going to his shop to see about making new tables and chairs for Paradise, to replace the ones broken in the fight. To my surprise, Domaug joined him. I’d thought he didn’t care for the “pale skins” but I suppose he’s learning to tolerate some of them. As for myself, I decided to wander about the city. I feel I need to be familiar with more than just the Guild and the tavern.

That evening, we met back up at the guild and made our way to the casino. I had hoped that by now, Echo and Ellisar would’ve shown their faces and could’ve come along but sadly they were still missing. The three of us would just have to carry on.

Met with a manager of the casino, a beautiful woman named Eratos. Apparently she is also one of “The Nine”; the Sisterhood that governs this city. She didn't look too impressed with us but decided we would be better than nothing. She directed Domaug and Keilege towards the men's stage and myself towards the ladies'.

The girls backstage seemed a little uncertain of how to dress me but I told them I was perfectly capable of finding something to dress myself. I chose some nice veils and a very long cape (which may have actually been a blanket now that I think about it) and draped myself in what I felt looked appropriate. When it was time to take to the stage, I was a little nervous. Never was one for dancing. But I'd seen enough drunkards hit the dance floor in my travels and if they could do it, so could I.

Surprisingly, my dance went over well. I suspect part of it may have just been because I was something "exotic" but people were entertained so I'm happy. When the show was all over I met back up with Domaug and Keilege. I asked how their performances went. Domaug didn't want to talk about it but Keilege wouldn't shut up about his. Apparently the traditional halfling dance he performed went over swimmingly with the crowd. Eratos even requested that he come back sometime to perform again.

With the night over with, we took the tips we'd made from our dances and headed back to the inn. I'm looking forward to tomorrow. A shame Echo and Ellisar missed out.

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The Fifth Quest

Ellisar and Echo were still nowhere to be seen so we decided to continue without them. Swanne regretfully informed us the reward Gerald had left for us was rather small but the next quest would surely be more rewarding. In the slums of the city there was a small soup kitchen known as Paradise. It looked as though they needed some assistance with their lunch rush. According to Swanne, this quest was quite common with the Rank Ones.

On our way to Paradise, Keilege told Domaug and I to be on our guard. He’d lived in this city for years and knew all to well the kinds of people that populated the slums.

“Don’t trust anyone and keep an eye on your purse.”

Sure enough, we encountered a small group of rather grubby looking children. They avoided Domaug and passed up Keilege but me they swarmed. Tiny hands pushed against me as they begged for food. I felt a few hands around my belt. Trying to think quickly, I sat down, putting my “waist” a little higher out of their reach. The action was a little too late it seemed, those children had fast hands. My coin purse spilled all over.

I’m no idiot. I knew EXACTLY what those children were trying to do. But they were only children and from my years at the orphanage, I’ve learned how best to handle children. I acted as though nothing was wrong and asked them to help me gather my coins. Before they could start scooping them up, I commented aloud;

“Oh but do be careful. One of those coins is cursed and I can’t remember which one it is.”

That got them. They all looked pretty spooked and I was able to retrieve all of my coins. Sometimes a little scare can do wonders with children. At least that had been my experience. I asked them to meet us at the soup kitchen if they were as hungry as they said they were and I would be sure they got a hearty amount.

With the children dealt with, we continued further into the slums until we finally found “Paradise”. The name left something to be desired and the inside looked a little worse for wear. We were greeted by an elf man named Asatair. He seemed a little disappointed there was only three of us but was glad for any help. He informed us that some rowdy patrons tended to cause trouble at the kitchen and that we would be helping prevent that. He was mostly looking at Domaug as he said this so we knew right away what job he’d be given.

Keilege was given kitchen duty, sent to the back to help peel potatoes with a young human woman named Sarah. I volunteered to help on the “front lines” as it were, handing out the food and keeping order in the line. Asatair seemed unsure of me but I assured him I had more experience than he realized.

The doors opened and the patrons began streaming in. At first things moved fairly smoothly. Domaug and a human man named Eugen did a good job keeping watch, glowering at a few trouble-makers and keeping them in line. The first bit of trouble came from a large bugbear. He demanded far more food than what we were giving out, looking to intimidate me into doing so. However, I am not so easily swayed. I stayed firm and informed him there were many others than needed to be fed. He would be getting the same amount as everyone else or he’d be getting nothing at all. He glared at first but eventually conceded. As I said, I’m very good at dealing with children.

There were a few more trouble-makers; a small goblin with poor hygiene and a group gearing up to start a fight, but both were easily taken care of by both my and Domaug’s efforts. Things were progressing smoothly until a rather unusual patron entered. A posh looking elf man trailed by a scraggly ratfolk entered and approached the counter. Smug looking with a hint of an edge. Definitely trouble. I tried to keep my composure and asked if he was lost. His response was just as smug as I’d expected.

“I don’t appreciate being asked questions by the help. I’m right where I need to be and I want some soup.”

I politely declined saying that it didn’t look like he needed the soup nearly as badly as the other patrons. Domaug made his presence known and I told the man he needed to leave before we made him. He was smart enough to go but told me he wouldn’t forget this. I told him that was fine and wished him a nice day.

Asatair was a little… worried after the exchange. Apparently that man was Mercutio; head of an anti-establishment gang and one of the most feared people in the slums. It seemed as though I’d made an enemy. I told Asatair I’d deal with it when the time came. I’d met with bullying types like him before and I knew how to deal with them.

I’d hoped the rest of the day would go as smoothly but unfortunately the trouble-makers got their way and a fight broke out. My words were unable to stop anyone and while Keilege’s attempts to threaten some of the patrons with potatoes seemed like a good idea to him, it fell on deaf ears. Domaug luckily gained the assistance of the bugbear I’d dealt with earlier in breaking up the fight. I wished they’d solved it in a less violent manner but sometimes a little force is needed. We helped clean up the mess that had been made and I managed to convince the bugbear (named Buggy of all things) to start helping to keep the peace at Paradise in exchange for a little extra food.

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The Fourth Quest

Spring, 736 Day Two in Mach-corvin

A new day awaits us. Before going to sleep, I took a closer look at that golden cog Farmer Galva had given me. After turning it a few times in my hand, it because spinning on its own. Shortly afterwards it sprouted some eyes and little arms. Imagine my surprise to find that it’s alive! I shall call it Sprocket. I doubt Galva will be able to answer any questions about Sprocket, not a very talkative man. But maybe I’ll find someone in town that could be of assistance.

The following morning, Echo and Ellisar were nowhere to be seen. Found a note from Ellisar at least, stating that something had come up and he would be gone for the day. As far as Echo, I had no idea but I was sure he would meet back up with us when he was ready. Fox-folk are fickle like that. It looked like today it would just be Domaug, Keilege and myself.

Swanne looked a little concerned about our missing companions but I assured her the three of us would be fine. Our next quest looked to be an easy one; we would be aiding another farmer, a man by the name of Gerald. His plow had been broken and he needed assistance fixing it. I was confident that the three of us could handle such a simple job.

When we arrived at the farm, Gerald greeted us immediately and filled us in on the problem. While plowing his field, his ox Babe rammed the plow into something large buried underground. Keilege took lead on this quest, knowing his way around tools and woodwork. Domaug and I meanwhile set about trying to unearth the bolder Babe had run into in the hopes of moving it out of the way. Keilege finished long before the two of us. I was never very good with physical labor so most of the digging had been done by Domaug. Gerald was very happy to have his plow fixed but admitted there was one more thing we could help with. Or rather… one more thing I could help with. Turned out Babe had twisted a hoof and was unable to continue pull the plow. Gerald said he still needed the fields done and well, I was about the right fit for the harness.

… I like to think I’m a very helpful person, always willing to help those in need. But this was… it was so degrading. I think Keilege and Domaug were a little TOO enthusiastic about helping to hitch me up. By the time I was all hooked in, Domaug had finished uncovering the offending bolder. Upon closer inspection, Gerald informed us the bolder was a large chunk of “Unundrum”, an incredibly rare and valuable mineral. He took off after that, leaving the three of us to plow the field.

I tried my hardest, believe me I did. But Keilege was too short to properly steer the plow and Domaug was too tall. I suggested we just wait for the farmer to return, lest we ruin his fields. After waiting about half an hour, Gerald reappeared. He looked confused and asked what we were doing. When I told him we were plowing his field like he’d asked he proceed to laugh and say he didn’t need that anymore. Finding such a large piece of Unundrum on his property was like striking oil. He wouldn’t need to farm anymore.

I’ve never felt more humiliated in my life! Trussed up like a cow! Treated like an idiot! He could’ve had the decency to tell us after finding that stuff that plowing wouldn’t be needed. Keilege managed to at least convince Gerald to cut us in with a finders’ fee for helping him clear out that damned rock. Meanwhile I excused myself and headed back towards the town. I needed something to drink.

... ...

Cayden forgive me.

I abused your drink to drown my sorrows and to forget my troubles. My punishment was swift. That drink wasn’t terribly strong but it took me in such a way that my companions found me in a sloppy state at the tavern. When my mind was cleared, we took to the guild. I was not going to let this day become a waste.

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The Third Quest

Back to the Guild, Swanne has a new quest for us; a woman by the name of Mefa living on the outskirts of town has lost her cat and needs us to find him. Along the way, Echo spotted several cats down an alleyway. Decided to bring them along, thinking perhaps the lost cat was among them.

"Might make the quest easier."

Turns out Miss Mefa was a cat-folk and her house was overrun with cats. Seems a little odd, a cat-folk keeping pet cats, but who am I to judge? Mefa seemed a little wary and paranoid but when we told her we were from the Guild she seemed to relax. She gave us a description of her missing cat, Fiddles and told us it’d been about a week since she’d seen him last. We asked if there were any places he liked to wander to and she suggested the alleys and the local trash cesspool. She also gave us her former husband’s old fiddle, claiming that Fiddles enjoyed music played on it. Sadly the thing had seen better days and was missing its bow. We took it anyway, just in case. Echo had taken an interest in it.

The alleys turned up nothing. Lots of strays but none matching Fiddles’ description. It looked like the dump was next. Upon arriving we spotted a strange robbed man sitting beside a stagnant pool of gods knows what trying to fish. We asked if he’d seen a cat fitting Fiddles’ description. He started rambling on about various cats around the area, some of the city kids that tend to hang around the area that liked to tease the cats, but nothing really solid we could work with.

As we were speaking with him, Echo decided to take it upon himself to try something. He began playing around with the fiddle Mefa had given us. Lacking a proper bow, Echo used the next best thing: his short bow. I have to admit, I was surprised he was not only able to produce music but it wasn’t half bad. To further surprise, the old man agreed and revealed that he was in fact, Fiddles. Turns out the man was an old druid that liked to take the shape of a cat and take advantage of people’s kindness towards strays. He’d simply grown bored of Mefa and left. He agreed to return with us under the promise that I be the one to carry him back.

After returning Fiddles to Miss Mefa, we decided it was too late to return to the Guild so we headed back towards the inn to rest for the night. Along the way, we saw several guards run past, all headed in the direction of the Gorda mansion. Domaug had a bad feeling and decided to follow. The rest of us joined.

When we arrived at the mansion, it was engulfed in flames. Madam Gorda was out front, looking like a wild woman going through a berserk rage. She was surrounded by several guards but their efforts to subdue her seemed ineffectual. We wanted to help but while in the city our weapons are all magicked making them useless. We could only watch.

Just as things looked bleak, the captain of the guards arrived. A stern looking woman by the name of Calliope. She took Gorda down with one fell swoop but sadly in her death, she took out several guards beneath her. The remaining guards struggled to lift her body so Domaug approached the captain to offer his assistance. I was a little surprised by his actions, as he had shown much disdain towards humans, always calling them "pale skins" but as I like to say to each their own.

Calliope was a little wary but was willing to take any help she could get. In an amazing feat of strength, Domaug was able to lift the Madam’s corpse off of the guards. While some had unfortunately been killed, there were several that were still alive if not a little bruised and broken. I stepped in to offer my assistance in healing the wounded provided someone could remove my mark. Calliope agreed and I was able to heal up most of the guards.

She thanked us both for our help and scolded the guards, saying it was embarrassing that none of them could take down a single woman and two outsiders were of more help. Ellisar spoke up, asking what exactly had set Madam Gorda off.

Inadvertently, it was us. The locket had we gave to Madam was in fact meant for Sir Gorda’s mistress; a woman named Martha. The two woman had been friends. When Gorda had discovered Martha having feelings for her husband and in a fit of rage, killed her, knowing nothing about how her husband returning the feelings. Our involvement had tipped her off to that fact and sent her into her rage. Which resulted in her killing her husband and setting fire to the mansion. I am sorry this had happened. It was not our intention to create such chaos. I can only hope that the two will find peace in the afterlife. We returned to the inn to turn in for the night. I’m sure tomorrow will be another eventful day.

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A brief interlude

Echo and Ellisar decided to join us while Keilege excused himself to tend to some things at his workshop. The tavern was a little busy but I was able to get Domaug the largest mug of ale they had. Ruben offered me another shot of “Cayden’s Challenge” but I had to decline. I know better than to push my luck taking the challenge twice in one day. Ellisar on the other hand was feeling bold, brushing off the warning Ruben had also given to me. I tried to tell Ellisar that I had a little more experience and tolerance with the drink but he wasn’t having it.

Well...

The good news; Ellisar survived the drink. The bad news; it knocked him was out for a few hours. Hopefully he wakes up, he’ll know his limits a little better.

Domaug seemed to take to drink fairly well. Apparently this was his first time having alcohol. Wish I’d known before hand, I would’ve started him off on something a little weaker. He held his liquor fairly well for a while but near the end he became just as wasted. Echo assisted me in getting our two companions back to our room at the inn to sleep off their respective drinks before we went back to Swanne. Never a good idea to show up drunk to a job.

As we were walking back to the inn, Domaug told me about something he and the others had figured out at the Gorda mansion while Keilege and myself were otherwise occupied. They had found a recording mentioning a woman named Martha. Domaug had asked Sir Gorda about it and he confessed that she was his wife’s best friend and his mistress. He also said he believed his wife had killed Martha in a jealous rage. The locket Echo had found was from him to Martha, something Madam Gorda knew nothing about. It seems that we may have inadvertently ratted the poor man out.

"He told me giving her that locket doomed him. He is in danger. I told him to leave but he said he couldn't. Shouldn't have left him there."

Domaug was worried for Sir Gorda’s safety so we made a note of reporting our findings to the local guards. Sadly there was not a lot they could do; the case was very old and Madam Gorda is a high member of society. They at least said they’d check in to make sure Sir Gorda was okay.

After a rest back at the inn, Ellisar was almost back to fighting condition. The drink had hit him pretty hard and it looked like he might been in need of some stronger healing to get rid of his hangover. I would’ve liked to have healed it myself but this damned mark on my head keeps me from communing with Cayden and receiving his blessing for my spells. I did however find out about a temple known as The Faces of the Gods where I could get a little assistance. I told Echo to find Keilege and head to the Guild and that we would meet with them later.

At The Faces of the Gods Ellisar and I were greeted by a pair of elven twins; Kyrie and Ilason. They were very helpful and got to work right away. While they worked on Ellisar, I stopped by a small shrine to Cayden. Even though I still had the mark on my head blocking my magic, I could still commune with him at this shrine. I told him of my latest exploits, finding a new combination of drink and that I was hoping this Adventurers’ Guild would lead me in the right direction to figuring out my blood oath.

It was a foolish thing that had happened early in my travels. I'd failed "Cayden's Challenge" at some seedy tavern in another city. I awoke the next day to find the remnants of some kind of ritual and a mark on my hand. I could barely remember anything from that night, save for a vague description of my drinking companion from the bartender; a man in a white suit with the insignia of the Mach-Corvin Adventurers’ Guild.

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With drinks and food in our bellies we headed back to the Guild for our next quest: Travel to the manor of Madam Gorda and find her lost ring. Edwin seems to have disappeared and Echo returned in his stead. I’m beginning to have a few suspicions about those two, I’ve heard rumors of what fox-folk are capable of but I’ll hold my tongue. He must have his reasons for the masquerade.

Arriving at the manor we were greeted by Sir Gorda, a rather frail looking old man. Seemed a bit hard of hearing and maybe not quite all there but when we mentioned we were from the Guild that seemed to jog his memory. We were introduced to his wife Madam Gorda; a rather... full figured woman. I can't say I'd ever met someone of her... stature... before.

Madam Gorda claimed that she'd lost her engagement ring given to her by her husband some time ago. She believed she'd last seen it in her sitting room upstairs so we decided to start our search there.

While I had a little difficulty with the stairs, my companions began their search of the upper rooms. The sitting room looked as though it hadn't been used in a long time, there was a fine layer of dust over everything. I suspect Madam may not have been up there in a long time. We found an old tea set and a few random pastries, both of which seemed to be covered in a thick layer of dust and mold. Echo seems suspicious of the contents of the teapot. Not sure why.

As we searched, an alarm suddenly started going off. I noticed that Keilege was no longer with us so I left to find him and the source of the alarm. I found Madam Gorda first. She was in the kitchen eating some pastries and seemed to be having difficulties trying to get back to her feet. When I asked her about the alarm she mentioned something about Keilege asking her about her alarm.

"Mmm. Yes. That darling little halfling said I should be wary of thieves and asked if I had protection. I told him there's an alarm spell that only I could activate. Yes. I turned it on because I was worried about thieves."

I wasn't entirely sure what Keilege had hoped to gain from getting Madam Gorda to turn on her alarms. All it had seemed to do was cause some mild havoc. I attempted to help Madam Gorda to her feet so that she could turn off the alarm but maneuvering myself into a good position to help was difficult.

Thankfully Keilege returned, looking a little guilty while carrying a rather large (at least for him) platter of pastries. He helped me get Madam Gorda to her feet and we got the alarm shut off. As I was about to ask Keilege what he'd been doing, he grabbed hold of my arm and pulled me down to whisper in my ear.

"So uh, good news and bad news. Good news, I found the ring! Bad news uh... you're not gonna like where I found it."

Keilege was right. It was in the worst possible place. Well... perhaps the second worst. Turns out the ring had become... lodged... within Madam Gorda's neck. My companions returned from their search upstairs and we discussed what was to be done. The Madam had taken a liking to Domaug so it was decided that he try to... retrieve the ring. He had surprisingly gentle hands and was able to extract the ring from its fleshy prison. Madam Gorda was thrilled and just as we were ready to take our leave, Echo produced a small locket and note. He said he found it while searching upstairs and thought it would be best to return it.

"It must be yours Madam. I found it in your sitting room."

I’m not sure what the note said, Madam Gorda didn’t seem to think anything of it. The locket however seemed to bring her mood down. I’ll admit, I was curious about the nature of it but I know better than to pry into private matters. With a job done, we headed back into town. I promised Domaug a drink at the tavern before turning in our quest to Swanne. For what he had to do, he deserved it.

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I'll admit I was a little worried about how our team would work together but we seemed to do well. Domaug handled most of the heavy lifting, taking the wheelbarrow back and forth while the rest of us cleaned. Elesar saw to the horses before bringing around hay and spreading it. Meanwhile, myself, Keilege and Echo cleared out the stalls. There was only a minor hiccup when I overheard Keilege and Echo arguing. Apparently Keilege felt that Echo wasn't doing his share of the work. I'd seen the two as I was working from my side and it looked to me that Echo was doing more following than shoveling.

I tried to confront him about it but he kept insisting he was helping. Keilege decided to try and take things into his own hands and well... let's just say it didn't end pretty for either of them. Echo ran off to clean himself off and Keilege decided to clear his head behind the barn.

I got Elesar to come in and help finish off the remaining stalls. While we were working, a young human boy came up claiming to be another member of our team.

I don't recall seeing a human with us when we were first all put together but I was not about to turn down help. He seemed rather eager to assist us. I believe he said his name was "Edwin"? But I could be wrong. Human names were always so difficult for me to remember. So plain.

As Elesar and Edwin worked on the front stalls, I took to the rear, planning on meeting them in the middle. Upon cleaning out the last stall I noticed something glinting in the muck. Upon closer inspection it turned out to be a couple rubies. Looks like one of Farmer Galva's animals must've eaten something that didn't agree with them. I'll admit, it was a little tempting to pocket them for myself but this is a job and they were not mine to keep so I returned them to Farmer Galva.

He seemed, confused? (Hard to tell with a construct) Took them from me and before I could go back to work he reached into his chest and took out some kind of golden cog. I suppose that was my reward? Bit strange. I'll have to look into it later. I'll just have to assume the cog's not vital for him to function. Elesar and Edwin made quick work of the last of the stalls and by the time I'd returned, Keilege was feeling well enough to help spread out the last of the hay.

With out job complete we decided to clean up and hit the local tavern for a drink.

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