- After we handed over the coin they were promised, the Shadow Thieves allowed us passage into their halls to discuss our deal in greater detail, and lead us upstairs to their commander. The man seemed cut from quite eloquent cloth, considering the company, yet with a name like "Bloodscalp", I dared not hold high hopes regarding any altruistic or humanitarian quirks. - We were quickly tasked to spy on one of their own, before they would send us off to our promised destination. Needless to say, this did not exactly sit well with most of us, for we much desired to get started recovering our friend from the clutches of evil, post-haste! Unfortunately, this lesser evil held us hostage by means of debt, so we were forced to dispense the sort of justice only a cutthroat can covet. - This "Justice" involved spying on, and subsequently disposing of a most ambitious guild member called Mae'var. Supposedly this man was plotting against the Shadow Thieves, hoping to take it over in due time. After running some errands for the cur and his pet wizard, it soon became clear that these allegations were anything but unfounded. - His mage was one of those reprehensible Red Wizard wretches that I've spent all my life trying to avoid, so I tried my best to shun him altogether and let Maeglin do all the talking there. Apparently he was not unfamiliar to us, yet when it comes to these iniquitous cooks, I'd rather remain invisible for as long as I can. - Regardless, we kept up our guise as Mae'var's enforcers, all the while feeding information to Bloodscalp through his informants, steadily growing closer and closer to solid evidence of Mae'var's betrayal. Once we had sufficient proof, we were ordered to take him out for the good of the guild. While we cared little for that, we were, once more, but lackeys, doing other people's bidding for the mere promise of assistance. - When we finally met their leader, Shadowmaster Aran Linvail, it turned out he was no better than those that came before him. After doing all their dirty work, we were once again told to wait and do yet another job before we would be able to set sail to Spellhold. Steadily growing more weary of this incessant deception, we had no choice but to endure their impudence, for they were our only option to ever reach Imoen in a timely fashion. - Linvail tasked us with protecting a shipment at a nearby pier that was purportedly put under surveillance by their rivals. As we were to meet his cohort under the veil of darkness, we had a few hours to rest up and so we decided to do just that. Kang was adamant about seeking lodgings more suited to his stature this time. I on the other hand suggested resting in the sewers was a bad idea so we compromised and visited an inn on the edge of the city, more secluded than the Coronet, to await nightfall and our meeting with this Mook character.
- During our stay at the Crooked Cane Inn, I was appalled by the conditions of this tiny little hovel. The name was revealing enough, but I was still amazed that we actually found a place more downtrodden than the Coronet. As befitting the common scum of this seditious city, Maeglin spent our downtime unlocking doors and entering rooms he was not supposed to enter, and spewed some nonsense about liches and demons when he resurfaced from his latest excursion. While I am always for a little insult if the situation calls for it, I did not think the innkeeper was that old, let alone a master of the arcane. - Brushing aside the inane babble of our intellectually less endowed members and their fantasies about slaying undead mages in backwater taverns, I spurred us on to go about meeting our contact at the docks, before we missed our window and by extension, botched our deal. - In the dead of night, we arrived at the meeting spot, specified by Linvail, and met with his underling, Mook. Apparently, the young thief had been keeping a keen eye on any and all that passed her by and she claimed to be expecting company any time now. It seemed we joined her at a most opportune time, as it was not long before said company reared it's ugly head. - Before I fully realised who it was, the insidious individual indicated his intentions were anything but benign, and proclaimed his allegiance to the vampire league. He subsequently attempted to dissuade us from our current path, claiming all opposition would be futile. - He seemed unfamiliar to the rest of my company, but I had met this one before. This one was the cretin that captured me and had me locked up in Irenicus' dungeon. At the time I did not stand to think of what it meant, rather I successfully retreated to a more secluded and strategic vantage point, to survey the battle that soon followed. Despite many complaints and contemptuous gazes considering my actions, I did not - like many would have you believe - run away like a blanched babe, I merely improved my tactical position. Mainly as a precautionary measure, of course, should things go terribly awry. - Only later did the repercussions on this man's appearance truly sink in, only after we had returned to Linvail and had been given the order to storm the vampire lair and kill all the inhabitants. Perhaps it was a mere coincidence, but if these vampires shared ties with Irenicus, the implications could prove utterly disastrous. - There was but one safe way to find out, and that was to confront the beastly bloodsucker Bodhi in her home, and slay every last one of her kind. While it might not seem like a prudent way of gathering information, at least then, any ties they might have would lose all meaning.
Putting down the Dead:
- Before we could breach said lair, we were to divulge a means to gain entry from a contact within the vampire guild, whom was said to meet a pair of shadow thief defectors in a nearby tavern. As is customary when running with Maeglin, we obviously slaughtered every last one, once we pried the required information out of them with great and disturbing force. - Linvail indicated he sent a mage ahead of us to secure the entrance and provide us with support once we arrived. Sadly, after cleaning out the catacombs leading upto the sealed door, I was unimpressed with the help this supposed Shadowmaster had provided. The mage in question directed his pet construct to bash down the door... something our resident dwarf would have excelled at on his own, no doubt. Once the door was open however, he and his pet were quickly slain by some manner of specialised horrors, acting as guardians of the vampire tombs. - Naturally, nobody cared that this man was so brutally slain in front of us, considering his affiliations, and the diminishing value all of us place upon any given life that is not Imoen. Great heroes indeed... - At any rate, we quickly cleared the entire tomb out and, mainly with my help, stayed one step ahead of Bodhi and her minions. As it so happened, my suspicions regarding their affiliations were not entirely unfounded. She readily disclosed her relation with Irenicus, who turned out to be her brother, and spun some spurious tale to Maeglin about power and destiny. Frankly I've had it up to here with Maeglin's special destiny, for it always seems more deleterious than beneficial, even to a fine, upstanding and successful bard such as yours truly. - As expected, things quickly took a turn for the worse when Bodhi proceeded to mention Imoen and all the vile things they were planning for her, so both Kang and Maeglin violently lashed out at her with great fury. The vicious vixen was a wiley one however, and it took us some doing to bring her to her knees. Even in defeat, she seemed too confident, vomiting more malicious misinformation - or just information, as it turned out - about their plans, before turning into a bat and fleeing down the many narrow corridors. - Kang, in his anger barely noticed what was going on, as he stood there shouting at the wall and the puddle of blood in front of him, demanding Imoen be returned to him. He didn't even listen to me when I said she was long gone. Sometimes it boggles the mind thinking of how thick a mage can be despite their alleged intelligence and innate ability. - Back at the thieves' den, Linvail commended us for our pyrrhic victory against the vampires and was, apparently, finally ready to send us on our way, as per our original arrangement. It seemed his goals were somewhat aligned with ours at present and with a few of his compatriots, he would secure passage for us aboard a ship, no doubt of questionable origins, that would take us to our desired destination. We are to set out soon, so hopefully this trivial adventure will come to a close quickly, and I can get back to working on more important matters, like Rose from the Five Flagons.
(i took into account that the save date seemed to go up a week, though I am not entirely sure with the update having seemingly destroyed the save date, at least with ongoing games)
day 1- Today I got better rest than I have had in months, and the beds are no better than what we had in the coronet. We've spent all of our time after leaving Candlekeep walking from one place to the next, fighting monsters in dungeons, and sleeping only when it seemed beneficial to our survival. Imoen didn't make things any easier for us to lighten up. Now, however, the quickness of our journey is in the hands of Saemon. Having this moment of reprieve, I took most of the day recounting all our recent events. It is pretty hard to really think with so much going on, though getting back into writing has made it easier. Other than that nothing new has really happened that I've heard of. It was just a much need chance to rest.
day 2- Don invited me to have some drinks with him, seeing as I spent yesterday and today doing mostly nothing. Since we are stuck here for the next few days, I decided to accept. I am not so sure it is a very good idea, though. For every drink he has, he waddles over to the edge to vomit. I told him he should lay down and stop drinking, but Don will be Don. If he isn't cracking skulls, he has some alcohol in hand. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem like a very seaworthy member of our group, and I really don't drinking is helping, regardless of his amazing dwarven constitution.
day 3- There were some explosions tonight, so I went topside to see what was going on. Turns out Kang has been throwing all his fireballs into the ocean, calling it practice. I told him to stop as it might make people think we are under attack, but he is stubborn and continued until he was all out of them for the day. I tried to reason that he could be valuable if we were attacked by pirates, but he just promised to keep a few ready, though I did get him to choose better times to do this. Seeing as the trip seemed to be aggitating him I decided to stick around and talk to get his mind away from things, at least for a bit. He needs to understand that this part of our trip is out of our hands, and we'll have Imoen back as soon as we are able.
day 4- Yoshimo invited me to play some cards with him and some crew. I am always up for a game of luck and a chance to get some coin, so I followed him. He had a lot of questions to ask me, from my being bhaalspawn, the journey I've been on, or just something personal. He seems to really want to know me better. He also seems a little sad inside, though he shrugs it off as nothing. Anyway, lady luck shined on me this day and I walked away with extra coin that will surely be gone next time we visit a tavern with Don.
day 5- I realize Andre has spent a lot of his time away from others throughout the journey. I'd practically forgotten he was here, until I saw him on the deck today, watching Kang as he continues to waste his fireballs in the ocean. Besides that he seems to spend most of his day in his room, or at least I assume. I would rather he talk to people and not be behind closed doors where I wonder what he is up to. No matter what he said last time we talked, I know there is something wrong with him and I don't know what he is doing out of my sight. When we have Imoen I hope I can do something about him. Maybe if he didn't always have that sword on him I could've tossed it into the ocean?
day 6- The journey is finally making me a little seasick, but I still decided to go to the bar to check on Don. It seems like he's made it a routine to just drink and vomit the whole trip, but sadly I can't do anything about that. Hopefully we never need to go on another boat in our life, because this dwarf does not belong on the water. I also saw Yoshimo being kind of Shady, but I guess it's just me. Besides all that, Saemon last night put on some kind of light show to a far off ship. I am thinking it was some sort of signal to them, though nothing happened. I'll just take that as being the point.
day 7- Finally, we can see the island in the distance, and spellhold towering over the town of Brynnlaw. It felt like a very long week, but soon we will be back on solid ground and on our way to rescuing Imoen. Probably for the best. While the food hasn't been that bad on the journey, today's stuff had an awful after taste and made me feel sick and weary, so I think it's going bad. Hopefully the sickness will pass before we land. I guess it's best that Yoshimo decided to skip his meal today, though he seems extra distraught. I wish he would say something, because we've talked a fair bit on this journey and I think he's a good person. I would gladly call him friend if he trusted me a bit better. I also wish Vic wouldn't ignore me the entire trip. I understand she wants to keep from getting too close as we were before, but she is still a member of the party and I can still care for her as a friend and comrade. Anyway, I'm going to get rest now and hope this sickness passes and I'm ready for landing. I want to be in spellhold soon, and leaving with our long lost friend.
Been a while again, but here's Andre's view on the boatride, and of course, the only true account of the events that actually took place...
Being in the Know:
- While most of the journey to Spellhold was largely uneventful, aside from Saemon's questionable behaviour and Kang... well, being Kang, I did manage to learn more about Yoshimo during the tenday at sea. Everyone seemed to have their own way of coping with the tedium of being confined to this tiny skiff, which, to me, seemed like the perfect opportunity to gauge my companions' current state of mind. - Our newest member spent quite a large amount of time wasting our money away with Maeglin, but outside the betting game, I got him to confide in me more than I had hoped. He told me of his troubled past back east and the many heartaches that had led him to walk the steep and narrow path we're on with us. He did not care to elaborate on the particulars of his capture by Irenicus, but then neither was I, so we both agreed to simply leave it at that. - Donathal and Maeglin were their usual self, drunk and incessantly annoying respectively. As per usual Maeglin isn't satisfied unless he knows everything that goes on around him, but luckily I was able to keep a good distance and take some much needed observations of him when he was alone. He seems ever more depressed as time goes on, like he's given up allready. - As the days went on, Yoshimo and I grew closer as I began to see his true nature rise to the surface. He might have seemed like quite a shady character to the untrained eye, especially given his less than reputable choice of profession, but I knew better. For all his dubious behaviour and debatable allegiances, deep down he was a righteous person, more so than most of our current group. In my heart, I knew for certain I could trust him with my growing concerns regarding the sorcerer scourge that was hounding my every waking hour. - At first, Yoshimo was stuck in a web of disbelief when I revealed my claims of Kang's insanity. He could not fathom that such an apparently composed caster could be so unhinged as I claimed, but it was not long before the truth was brought to light. Under the cover of darkness and some illusion magics, Yoshimo and I kept a steady eye on Kang and his deviant ways. When the crazed caster seemingly lost his common sense and started throwing fire about like a madman, my new friend conceded that my allegations were just. It felt good to finally have someone see the truth of the matter, someone who doesn't think I'm losing my mind. - I strongly urged Yoshimo to keep all this to himself, lest Kang should turn on him as well. We kept our "conferences" to a minimum so as not to raise suspicions, and I tried to keep my presence concealed in general, keeping up the appearance that I was in some way indisposed. As such, I was able to keep a keen eye on everyone without alerting anyone of my investigations. - Having reaffirmed my derisive view on Kang, I felt the need, on more than one occasion, to sneak into his cabin and end it right then and there, but for some, yet unexplained reason, I thought it unwise at the time. Perhaps I do subconsciously still have need of him, or his means at least. Perhaps it is some otherworldly intervention, a sign from my mentor to follow a more righteous path and not get dissuaded by the evil of his incitant nature. Either way, at least now I have Yoshimo to confide in. A small flicker of light in my dim existence that makes the darkness seem that much less daunting.
As my own memory is spotty, and andre had been milling around for the last few weeks doing very little to help anyone, it seemed appropriate to just wing it. Might gloss over, of simply forget events that took place, or make stuff up, but this is, as always, just andre's view, so it will always remain questionable at best :P
Fear and Loathing in Brynnlaw:
- As is customary these days, I was nearly forgotten when the time to debark was upon us. Perhaps it was by some divine providence, for as I learned but minutes later, my friends were assaulted by more vampyric villains the moment they set foot on land. By the time I was dressed and up and about, the battle was over and our crew was somewhat in disarray. - Linvail's cohort was sitting on the deck of the ship, spewing some senseless palaver, painting everyone in the darkest shades of malice and mistrust. If I didn't know any better, I'd have thought I was looking at myself from but a few months past. A hopeless shell, lost and alone, looking for a way to make sense of all the misfortune that befalls one and all on this dispiriting path we call life. Unlike me however, she simply got back up a few moments later and seemed unaffected by her demonstrable depression, while it left me reeling from the racking recollection of my past. - With most of my "friends" now scouring this feeble excuse for a settlement in a bid to reveal a way into the prison overlooking most of the tiny town, I was left to ponder my position in our current state of turmoil. My delightful discourse with newfound friend Yoshimo regarding the frictions caused by the "windspear incident", as I've come to call it, had left me wondering if there might not have been some truth to the others' claims of Kang's innocence. He made it clear to me that aside from our mage's apparent apathy and despicable disposition, he didn't seem to wish me or the others any deliberate distress. - Putting aside my personal perturbedness, I made my way to the nearest tavern, trying my best to ignore the fine working ladies I came across on the way, for I would not have been particularly good company at the time. To no surprise I found the others there, sitting at the bar of the most sickening slough I'd ever seen in my life, the kind that would offend most orcs for it's lack of hygiene. Apparently they had met with our contact, one that would provide us with a means to access the predominant penitentiary that held our friend, and our enemy. - Maeglin welcomed me back to the fold and filled me in on current affairs, claiming that this Sanik fellow was just about to disclose to us how to enter that accursed place. Just as he said it however, a hooded figure darted into the tavern and let loose an arrow that struck our contact in the chest, causing him to collapse on the hard and filthy floor. The assassin vanished as fast as he appeared, leaving us to question our next move. - The innkeeper mentioned Lady Galvena might have had a stake in this altercation, given her involvement in most of the shady business that goes on in this town, but he also brought up a different way to enter the prison. He claimed we could simply pretend to be deranged and have a local cowl take us in. Honestly, I found that to be the easiest way, considering we already had a delusional madman in our midst, but I imagined Kang would not submit himself to be chained so easily.
- Not entirely unexpected, my advice on taking the clandestine course was once more ignored and Maeglin opted for a more direct approach. He invaded the nearby home of one of the cowls, struck him down and pilfered his coffers for a keystone, granting us access to the barrier separating the prison grounds from the rest of the village. Since our arrival was no doubt expected regardless, given our recent actions, and none of us had much love for these criminal scum, we callously raided the rest of his belongings and continued onward. - The walkways leading upto the imposing installation were infested with all manner of magical creatures, but none would stand in our way now. Once inside the structure, we were welcomed by one who claimed to serve as warden of the despicable place. He seemed somewhat off... even by our standards, yet he seemed amicable enough, for a cowl. Kang immediately started shouting and demanding we see Imoen, which seemed wasted on the warden, for he was most eerily calm and composed, even going as far as offering us a tour of the grounds. As his "tour" ended, he revealed himself to be none other than Irenicus himself, and he commanded his lackey to restrain us so he could commence with his experiments. - Much to my dismay, his lackey, my friend, Yoshimo, had been deceiving us all this time, attempting to gain our favour so we would blindly walk into his trap. I finally found some solid ground, someone I could trust, and now that ground is gone from me, eroded away at the foundation. It goes to show that one should not garner illusions of camaraderie in this vile coil of depravity called life. Everyone stands alone in the darkness. - The fiend had locked us all away, close enough to see Maeglin and Imoen being defiled both physically and mentally by his wicked magics. To no surprise, we found Bodhi standing next to the twisted tyrant, discussing things that seemed wholly unassociated with us. As they spoke of old grudges and retributions long overdue, it seemed as though we were not even present to them, as if our very existence was meaningless. Only Maeglin and Imoen seemed to matter. - Their ultimate goal, as it turned out, was obtaining Maeglin's tainted soul and the divine power that came with it. While we were all aware of Maeglin's ungodly heritage, I can safely say none of us were prepared to hear that the gentle Imoen was just as tainted as her unscrupulous brother. She was no longer the happy-go-lucky sunshine that broke up the dim despondence that seemed to cling to us like a shadow. Irenicus had been tampering with her mind all this time, taking away the light of her soul, leaving it a barren, hopeless waste for her mind to wander aimlessly.
Exorcising the Demons:
- I did not witness much of Irenicus' vehement tirade as I felt myself slipping in and out of consciousness in that cramped, tubular glass shell. Before I realised what had happened, I found myself, along with the rest of my companions, trapped in some dank dungeon, left to fend for ourselves at the behest of the belligerent Bodhi. She told us to run, for she did not enjoy hunting stationary prey, after which she vanished into the shadows, leaving us with nothing but two nervous wrecks and our own devices. - It seemed, while I was out, Maeglin had been subjected to the same nefarious curse that they used on Imoen, turning him into the same morose mess as her. On and on they went about their missing souls, like none of us have had it hard of late. Arguably, I can understand their predicament, but as in most cases, we had no time to waste on lingering and mournfully reminiscing of how nice it is to have a soul. It is a daily struggle for some, and they act as though they're somehow special! - As always, I spurred us on and lead us through the ever encroaching darkness, letting my brilliant mind do most of the work. This dungeon was mired with traps and riddles that seemed made to topple none but infant babes or mentally disabled people like Kang. Naturally, none of them posed much of a challenge to one such as I and even with my mind in different places, I solved them all in but mere moments. - Naught but riddles and tricks would serve as a dungeon for no man, so it came as no surprise that the lower levels held several brutal packs of monsters to boot. I let our loutish dwarf take care of most of those, grunt work is not meant for important people after all. - All in all, the monsters we encountered paled in comparison to what we faced when we neared what seemed like the end of this labyrinth of menial labour. We activated a statue blocking the way out, but in doing so, Bodhi leapt from the shadows with her minions, threatening to end our life right then and there. We were not new to combating these bloodsuckers, so we stood and faced her, ready to do battle once more, but before we could do anything, Maeglin started screaming, introducing us to a whole new reign of terror. - He sprouted horns and spikes from his ever deforming body and within seconds he tore apart Bodhi's minions and sent her reeling in horror, fleeing the very sight of him. Much as I've always had a spot of trepidation concerning Maeglin's looks, I never felt as though he was a danger, until now. He turned toward us after shredding the vampire scum and took a swing at me and some of the others. I was stuck down before I even realised what had happened and our party was locked in a terrifying battle with our vicious leader. Luckily, Maeglin's rage subsided after a few moments, and the few he felled were restored by Donathal shortly after. - When I regained my composure, I found Maeglin sitting in a corner with his face buried in his palms, muttering to himself while Imoen was trying to console him. This new form was apparently the manifestation of his evil legacy, brought forth by thoughts of malice and destruction. This would shed a new light, or rather, a new darkness, upon our ever deteriorating state of mind, throwing our group in disarray once more.
Our mission has gone successfully thus far, and we are gathered now to prepare to enter spellhold. Now would be a good time to recount the mission so far.
After our ship's arrival at the Brynnlaw docks, Saemon was the first off the ship. Followed by his leave, Sime warned us of his possible ill intentions. While I was a little suspicious myself, it didn't really matter at the time as we had other things to do. That would be short lived, however, when he awaited us on the docks with a group of vampires. As it would seem, he was under their employ. Unfortunately Mr Havarian escaped so I couldn't bring my justice on him at that time.
Following this ambush we were quick to make our way to the local inn where we would meet our informant, Sanik. Unfortunately, shortly after our arrival, an assassin had appeared and killed Sanik before we could get the information we desired. While all seemed loss at that moment, the innkeeper informed us of the situation that lead to this assassination, and another who might be able to provide us with information we had been looking for. Lady Galvena, mistress of the local courtesan's guild, had sent the assassin after Sanik fell in love with one of the courtesans, Claire, and proclaimed her his wife. Claire was our new objective now, and so we set off immediately for the guildhall.
Once there, we were greeted outside by one of the ladies. Seeing as it could serve as a way in, I used my charm and even got a price drop as we followed her in, before abandoning her in the room to deal with Galvena. Of course she didn't care to stop us, and she would be glad to see Galvena dead. Just a few doors down we would find Galvena and put an end to her evilness and save Claire.
With the rescue successful, we brought Claire to a friend of hers, Golin, after breaking the news about Sanik to her. With them indebted to my group for the rescue, they shared the information we were searching for and we learned of two ways in: either we could go in as deviants with the pirate lord's help or we could get a cowl's wardstone to pass through the gates. After some thought we searched out the cowl, as going in as deviants seemed to place us in a position where it may be trouble getting back out. We found the local cowl we were informed about, Perth, and our meeting with him ended in blood unfortunately. Still, I believe this way will give us a better chance of success in our mission, as we would likely have been stripped of our weapons and gears and be held behind bars as prisoners the other way. In my own searching around his house I found an odd spellbook and, taking a look inside, I was surprised to find that I was capable of reading, and probably casting, these spells. I'll have to try it out next chance I get. I am not sure if we are going to have resistance when we pass through the gates, so it may not be a long wait. We are off now, and hopefully we'll have Imoen very soon. As a bonus I can hope Irenicus will die today too, but saving friends comes first.
It's been quite a while since i've written anything on here, or anywhere rly. Didnt much feel like writing much lately, but fortunately it also fit into Andre's character, since a stark raving lunatic writing a coherent journal seems a bit off. Aside from the lack of detail however, i do feel like it's better this way, so here's Andre, back on track, sort of...
Darkest Deliverance:
- I cannot recall when last I took the time to write of our exploits, for I can scarcely recall when last I was in any state to do so. So much has happened, I'm not entirely sure where to start. I 'awoke' at the temple of Ilmater only to find I had been running rampant for the longest time, like some deranged lunatic. It feels like some feverish nightmare, unsure if what I remember really happened or not, and what took place in the moments that my mind seems to draw a blank. - Looking back in my journal, I find little to suggest when exactly my sanity was compromised so, but by all accounts, my blade bore much blame on my belligerent disposition of late. I can only surmise from the scraps of my auspicious account, and the troubling tales told by my friends, that my lapse in sanity cost us all more than I would care to admit, and yet, my friends have seen fit to forgive my oblivious onslaught. - It seems an eternity past since I last remember things clearly, since before my capture by Irenicus even. That accursed blade, determinant of the darkness that enveloped my world with tangible tendrils, took hold of my inquisitive mind and warped it into some depraved version of itself, dulling my senses and depriving me of courage and common sense alike. - Fear, they often say, can be a healthy thing, preparing the body for danger and pain, a precursor and prevalence to endurance. For me, it was my entire existence for the last few weeks - which felt more like years - not so much preparing me, but conditioning me. If not for my companions filling in the blanks, that dark abyss of dread and despondency would be all I could remember. And if not for their kindness and acceptance, it would be all that I am, an all consuming void, tearing apart everything in its path. - Back in the Windspear debacle, I could not fathom why Kang and the others were antagonising me as they were, why they would want me gone or spread such malicious lies about me. All my theories and speculations could not prepare me for the truth that was now so blatantly staring me in the face. Everything they said was true, I did try to kill Donathal, and Kang on several occasions, heck, they say I even tried to turn poor Imoen into a rodent for no apparent reason. - Even though I was under the influence of that condemnable curse, I cannot in good conscience ignore my transgressions, nor can I hope that a simple apology can make right the wrong I've done. All I can do now is do as I've always intended, which is to assist Maeglin in his quest, but perhaps with a touch more fervor than I had originally planned. I always hoped to bear witness to his exploits and regale one and all of the heroes of Candlekeep, without actually having to do anything myself. I might not admit it freely, but I've always felt just a step behind of my companions, always falling short when I am most needed. - And yet, as I stood alone, peering into the darkness, Maeglin, bereft of his own light, stood by me and pulled me back from the precipice when most others had given up hope. With my full faculties restored I now have but one purpose in mind, and that is to repay him in kind. To regain what was stolen and restore Maeglin and Imoen so that they may finally see this damnable destiny of theirs through to the end.
Soul Captive:
- Ive taken the time and liberty to compare my notes to those of Maeglin's and I am loathe to believe all I am reading. The time to act rather than read, however, is now upon us, as I am told we are just a few small steps behind Irenicus and his consorts. Bodhi should be back in her lair now, according to some high elves we encountered who were also in pursuit of the dastardly duo, for some yet unexplained reason. - As I'm told, the extraction of the divine essence within our two resident bhaalspawn led us into the dreadful Underdark after a short stint into shark-infested waters. Details are scarce on these events, but I do believe it involved some form of regicide and ritual sacrifice... wish I was there. - Our passage through the darkness was even more eventful it seems, involving, but not exclusive to, several counts of conspiracy, theft, murder, overthrowing local governments, and of course, the obligatory demon summoning, all to placate some ancient dragon. While all the while there was this really obnoxious fool throwing fits, disrupting their progress and endangering their lives. All in all, it still sort of sounds like me, just more violent in intent. - Regardless, they overcame all hardships and were able to befriend this dragon, who in turn, secured safe passage back to the surface world. They even managed to subdue me as my condition worsened near the end. Maeglin had disposed of the source of my madness, so that I might be restored later. If nothing else, knowing that blade is in the deepest crevasse, in the darkest undercrofts this side of Faerûn, where no sane man would tread willingly, fills my heart with some much needed solace. - As we resurfaced, we emerged amidst an elven camp of sorts, and were scrutinised and interrogated instantly regarding Irenicus' whereabouts. Once we all agreed that we were on the same side, they shared some crucial information with us, providing us with a means of striking back at the real menace in our lives. We were to seek some thorned lamp, of sorts, for which purpose I'm not sure. Sadly, while I'm no longer indisposed, my mind is not as it once was, and I keep forgetting things, even when they were told but moments before. - On our way back to the city, we ran into some old acquaintances from up north who seemed more than willing to assist in our quest. Drizzt and his fellows were apparently looking for a pink ham, though I fail to see why they'd look for any other colour of ham, that does not seem at all healthy. Regardless, they offered their assistance all the same, and one does not turn away aid from someone of such renown. - At nightfall, we set out for the graveyard, ready to up the stakes, so to speak. Hopefully things will go well, and we can finally restore our party back to its fullest potential, we've come to far to lose one of our own again now.
Comments
Shadows within Shadows:
- After we handed over the coin they were promised, the Shadow Thieves allowed us passage into their halls to discuss our deal in greater detail, and lead us upstairs to their commander. The man seemed cut from quite eloquent cloth, considering the company, yet with a name like "Bloodscalp", I dared not hold high hopes regarding any altruistic or humanitarian quirks.
- We were quickly tasked to spy on one of their own, before they would send us off to our promised destination. Needless to say, this did not exactly sit well with most of us, for we much desired to get started recovering our friend from the clutches of evil, post-haste! Unfortunately, this lesser evil held us hostage by means of debt, so we were forced to dispense the sort of justice only a cutthroat can covet.
- This "Justice" involved spying on, and subsequently disposing of a most ambitious guild member called Mae'var. Supposedly this man was plotting against the Shadow Thieves, hoping to take it over in due time. After running some errands for the cur and his pet wizard, it soon became clear that these allegations were anything but unfounded.
- His mage was one of those reprehensible Red Wizard wretches that I've spent all my life trying to avoid, so I tried my best to shun him altogether and let Maeglin do all the talking there. Apparently he was not unfamiliar to us, yet when it comes to these iniquitous cooks, I'd rather remain invisible for as long as I can.
- Regardless, we kept up our guise as Mae'var's enforcers, all the while feeding information to Bloodscalp through his informants, steadily growing closer and closer to solid evidence of Mae'var's betrayal. Once we had sufficient proof, we were ordered to take him out for the good of the guild. While we cared little for that, we were, once more, but lackeys, doing other people's bidding for the mere promise of assistance.
- When we finally met their leader, Shadowmaster Aran Linvail, it turned out he was no better than those that came before him. After doing all their dirty work, we were once again told to wait and do yet another job before we would be able to set sail to Spellhold. Steadily growing more weary of this incessant deception, we had no choice but to endure their impudence, for they were our only option to ever reach Imoen in a timely fashion.
- Linvail tasked us with protecting a shipment at a nearby pier that was purportedly put under surveillance by their rivals. As we were to meet his cohort under the veil of darkness, we had a few hours to rest up and so we decided to do just that. Kang was adamant about seeking lodgings more suited to his stature this time. I on the other hand suggested resting in the sewers was a bad idea so we compromised and visited an inn on the edge of the city, more secluded than the Coronet, to await nightfall and our meeting with this Mook character.
Familiars in the Night:
- During our stay at the Crooked Cane Inn, I was appalled by the conditions of this tiny little hovel. The name was revealing enough, but I was still amazed that we actually found a place more downtrodden than the Coronet. As befitting the common scum of this seditious city, Maeglin spent our downtime unlocking doors and entering rooms he was not supposed to enter, and spewed some nonsense about liches and demons when he resurfaced from his latest excursion. While I am always for a little insult if the situation calls for it, I did not think the innkeeper was that old, let alone a master of the arcane.
- Brushing aside the inane babble of our intellectually less endowed members and their fantasies about slaying undead mages in backwater taverns, I spurred us on to go about meeting our contact at the docks, before we missed our window and by extension, botched our deal.
- In the dead of night, we arrived at the meeting spot, specified by Linvail, and met with his underling, Mook. Apparently, the young thief had been keeping a keen eye on any and all that passed her by and she claimed to be expecting company any time now. It seemed we joined her at a most opportune time, as it was not long before said company reared it's ugly head.
- Before I fully realised who it was, the insidious individual indicated his intentions were anything but benign, and proclaimed his allegiance to the vampire league. He subsequently attempted to dissuade us from our current path, claiming all opposition would be futile.
- He seemed unfamiliar to the rest of my company, but I had met this one before. This one was the cretin that captured me and had me locked up in Irenicus' dungeon. At the time I did not stand to think of what it meant, rather I successfully retreated to a more secluded and strategic vantage point, to survey the battle that soon followed. Despite many complaints and contemptuous gazes considering my actions, I did not - like many would have you believe - run away like a blanched babe, I merely improved my tactical position. Mainly as a precautionary measure, of course, should things go terribly awry.
- Only later did the repercussions on this man's appearance truly sink in, only after we had returned to Linvail and had been given the order to storm the vampire lair and kill all the inhabitants. Perhaps it was a mere coincidence, but if these vampires shared ties with Irenicus, the implications could prove utterly disastrous.
- There was but one safe way to find out, and that was to confront the beastly bloodsucker Bodhi in her home, and slay every last one of her kind. While it might not seem like a prudent way of gathering information, at least then, any ties they might have would lose all meaning.
Putting down the Dead:
- Before we could breach said lair, we were to divulge a means to gain entry from a contact within the vampire guild, whom was said to meet a pair of shadow thief defectors in a nearby tavern. As is customary when running with Maeglin, we obviously slaughtered every last one, once we pried the required information out of them with great and disturbing force.
- Linvail indicated he sent a mage ahead of us to secure the entrance and provide us with support once we arrived. Sadly, after cleaning out the catacombs leading upto the sealed door, I was unimpressed with the help this supposed Shadowmaster had provided. The mage in question directed his pet construct to bash down the door... something our resident dwarf would have excelled at on his own, no doubt. Once the door was open however, he and his pet were quickly slain by some manner of specialised horrors, acting as guardians of the vampire tombs.
- Naturally, nobody cared that this man was so brutally slain in front of us, considering his affiliations, and the diminishing value all of us place upon any given life that is not Imoen. Great heroes indeed...
- At any rate, we quickly cleared the entire tomb out and, mainly with my help, stayed one step ahead of Bodhi and her minions. As it so happened, my suspicions regarding their affiliations were not entirely unfounded. She readily disclosed her relation with Irenicus, who turned out to be her brother, and spun some spurious tale to Maeglin about power and destiny. Frankly I've had it up to here with Maeglin's special destiny, for it always seems more deleterious than beneficial, even to a fine, upstanding and successful bard such as yours truly.
- As expected, things quickly took a turn for the worse when Bodhi proceeded to mention Imoen and all the vile things they were planning for her, so both Kang and Maeglin violently lashed out at her with great fury. The vicious vixen was a wiley one however, and it took us some doing to bring her to her knees. Even in defeat, she seemed too confident, vomiting more malicious misinformation - or just information, as it turned out - about their plans, before turning into a bat and fleeing down the many narrow corridors.
- Kang, in his anger barely noticed what was going on, as he stood there shouting at the wall and the puddle of blood in front of him, demanding Imoen be returned to him. He didn't even listen to me when I said she was long gone. Sometimes it boggles the mind thinking of how thick a mage can be despite their alleged intelligence and innate ability.
- Back at the thieves' den, Linvail commended us for our pyrrhic victory against the vampires and was, apparently, finally ready to send us on our way, as per our original arrangement. It seemed his goals were somewhat aligned with ours at present and with a few of his compatriots, he would secure passage for us aboard a ship, no doubt of questionable origins, that would take us to our desired destination. We are to set out soon, so hopefully this trivial adventure will come to a close quickly, and I can get back to working on more important matters, like Rose from the Five Flagons.
(i took into account that the save date seemed to go up a week, though I am not entirely sure with the update having seemingly destroyed the save date, at least with ongoing games)
day 2- Don invited me to have some drinks with him, seeing as I spent yesterday and today doing mostly nothing. Since we are stuck here for the next few days, I decided to accept. I am not so sure it is a very good idea, though. For every drink he has, he waddles over to the edge to vomit. I told him he should lay down and stop drinking, but Don will be Don. If he isn't cracking skulls, he has some alcohol in hand. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem like a very seaworthy member of our group, and I really don't drinking is helping, regardless of his amazing dwarven constitution.
day 3- There were some explosions tonight, so I went topside to see what was going on. Turns out Kang has been throwing all his fireballs into the ocean, calling it practice. I told him to stop as it might make people think we are under attack, but he is stubborn and continued until he was all out of them for the day. I tried to reason that he could be valuable if we were attacked by pirates, but he just promised to keep a few ready, though I did get him to choose better times to do this. Seeing as the trip seemed to be aggitating him I decided to stick around and talk to get his mind away from things, at least for a bit. He needs to understand that this part of our trip is out of our hands, and we'll have Imoen back as soon as we are able.
day 4- Yoshimo invited me to play some cards with him and some crew. I am always up for a game of luck and a chance to get some coin, so I followed him. He had a lot of questions to ask me, from my being bhaalspawn, the journey I've been on, or just something personal. He seems to really want to know me better. He also seems a little sad inside, though he shrugs it off as nothing. Anyway, lady luck shined on me this day and I walked away with extra coin that will surely be gone next time we visit a tavern with Don.
day 5- I realize Andre has spent a lot of his time away from others throughout the journey. I'd practically forgotten he was here, until I saw him on the deck today, watching Kang as he continues to waste his fireballs in the ocean. Besides that he seems to spend most of his day in his room, or at least I assume. I would rather he talk to people and not be behind closed doors where I wonder what he is up to. No matter what he said last time we talked, I know there is something wrong with him and I don't know what he is doing out of my sight. When we have Imoen I hope I can do something about him. Maybe if he didn't always have that sword on him I could've tossed it into the ocean?
day 6- The journey is finally making me a little seasick, but I still decided to go to the bar to check on Don. It seems like he's made it a routine to just drink and vomit the whole trip, but sadly I can't do anything about that. Hopefully we never need to go on another boat in our life, because this dwarf does not belong on the water. I also saw Yoshimo being kind of Shady, but I guess it's just me. Besides all that, Saemon last night put on some kind of light show to a far off ship. I am thinking it was some sort of signal to them, though nothing happened. I'll just take that as being the point.
day 7- Finally, we can see the island in the distance, and spellhold towering over the town of Brynnlaw. It felt like a very long week, but soon we will be back on solid ground and on our way to rescuing Imoen. Probably for the best. While the food hasn't been that bad on the journey, today's stuff had an awful after taste and made me feel sick and weary, so I think it's going bad. Hopefully the sickness will pass before we land. I guess it's best that Yoshimo decided to skip his meal today, though he seems extra distraught. I wish he would say something, because we've talked a fair bit on this journey and I think he's a good person. I would gladly call him friend if he trusted me a bit better. I also wish Vic wouldn't ignore me the entire trip. I understand she wants to keep from getting too close as we were before, but she is still a member of the party and I can still care for her as a friend and comrade. Anyway, I'm going to get rest now and hope this sickness passes and I'm ready for landing. I want to be in spellhold soon, and leaving with our long lost friend.
Being in the Know:
- While most of the journey to Spellhold was largely uneventful, aside from Saemon's questionable behaviour and Kang... well, being Kang, I did manage to learn more about Yoshimo during the tenday at sea. Everyone seemed to have their own way of coping with the tedium of being confined to this tiny skiff, which, to me, seemed like the perfect opportunity to gauge my companions' current state of mind.
- Our newest member spent quite a large amount of time wasting our money away with Maeglin, but outside the betting game, I got him to confide in me more than I had hoped. He told me of his troubled past back east and the many heartaches that had led him to walk the steep and narrow path we're on with us. He did not care to elaborate on the particulars of his capture by Irenicus, but then neither was I, so we both agreed to simply leave it at that.
- Donathal and Maeglin were their usual self, drunk and incessantly annoying respectively. As per usual Maeglin isn't satisfied unless he knows everything that goes on around him, but luckily I was able to keep a good distance and take some much needed observations of him when he was alone. He seems ever more depressed as time goes on, like he's given up allready.
- As the days went on, Yoshimo and I grew closer as I began to see his true nature rise to the surface. He might have seemed like quite a shady character to the untrained eye, especially given his less than reputable choice of profession, but I knew better. For all his dubious behaviour and debatable allegiances, deep down he was a righteous person, more so than most of our current group. In my heart, I knew for certain I could trust him with my growing concerns regarding the sorcerer scourge that was hounding my every waking hour.
- At first, Yoshimo was stuck in a web of disbelief when I revealed my claims of Kang's insanity. He could not fathom that such an apparently composed caster could be so unhinged as I claimed, but it was not long before the truth was brought to light. Under the cover of darkness and some illusion magics, Yoshimo and I kept a steady eye on Kang and his deviant ways. When the crazed caster seemingly lost his common sense and started throwing fire about like a madman, my new friend conceded that my allegations were just. It felt good to finally have someone see the truth of the matter, someone who doesn't think I'm losing my mind.
- I strongly urged Yoshimo to keep all this to himself, lest Kang should turn on him as well. We kept our "conferences" to a minimum so as not to raise suspicions, and I tried to keep my presence concealed in general, keeping up the appearance that I was in some way indisposed. As such, I was able to keep a keen eye on everyone without alerting anyone of my investigations.
- Having reaffirmed my derisive view on Kang, I felt the need, on more than one occasion, to sneak into his cabin and end it right then and there, but for some, yet unexplained reason, I thought it unwise at the time. Perhaps I do subconsciously still have need of him, or his means at least. Perhaps it is some otherworldly intervention, a sign from my mentor to follow a more righteous path and not get dissuaded by the evil of his incitant nature. Either way, at least now I have Yoshimo to confide in. A small flicker of light in my dim existence that makes the darkness seem that much less daunting.
Fear and Loathing in Brynnlaw:
- As is customary these days, I was nearly forgotten when the time to debark was upon us. Perhaps it was by some divine providence, for as I learned but minutes later, my friends were assaulted by more vampyric villains the moment they set foot on land. By the time I was dressed and up and about, the battle was over and our crew was somewhat in disarray.
- Linvail's cohort was sitting on the deck of the ship, spewing some senseless palaver, painting everyone in the darkest shades of malice and mistrust. If I didn't know any better, I'd have thought I was looking at myself from but a few months past. A hopeless shell, lost and alone, looking for a way to make sense of all the misfortune that befalls one and all on this dispiriting path we call life. Unlike me however, she simply got back up a few moments later and seemed unaffected by her demonstrable depression, while it left me reeling from the racking recollection of my past.
- With most of my "friends" now scouring this feeble excuse for a settlement in a bid to reveal a way into the prison overlooking most of the tiny town, I was left to ponder my position in our current state of turmoil. My delightful discourse with newfound friend Yoshimo regarding the frictions caused by the "windspear incident", as I've come to call it, had left me wondering if there might not have been some truth to the others' claims of Kang's innocence. He made it clear to me that aside from our mage's apparent apathy and despicable disposition, he didn't seem to wish me or the others any deliberate distress.
- Putting aside my personal perturbedness, I made my way to the nearest tavern, trying my best to ignore the fine working ladies I came across on the way, for I would not have been particularly good company at the time. To no surprise I found the others there, sitting at the bar of the most sickening slough I'd ever seen in my life, the kind that would offend most orcs for it's lack of hygiene. Apparently they had met with our contact, one that would provide us with a means to access the predominant penitentiary that held our friend, and our enemy.
- Maeglin welcomed me back to the fold and filled me in on current affairs, claiming that this Sanik fellow was just about to disclose to us how to enter that accursed place. Just as he said it however, a hooded figure darted into the tavern and let loose an arrow that struck our contact in the chest, causing him to collapse on the hard and filthy floor. The assassin vanished as fast as he appeared, leaving us to question our next move.
- The innkeeper mentioned Lady Galvena might have had a stake in this altercation, given her involvement in most of the shady business that goes on in this town, but he also brought up a different way to enter the prison. He claimed we could simply pretend to be deranged and have a local cowl take us in. Honestly, I found that to be the easiest way, considering we already had a delusional madman in our midst, but I imagined Kang would not submit himself to be chained so easily.
Prison Life:
- Not entirely unexpected, my advice on taking the clandestine course was once more ignored and Maeglin opted for a more direct approach. He invaded the nearby home of one of the cowls, struck him down and pilfered his coffers for a keystone, granting us access to the barrier separating the prison grounds from the rest of the village. Since our arrival was no doubt expected regardless, given our recent actions, and none of us had much love for these criminal scum, we callously raided the rest of his belongings and continued onward.
- The walkways leading upto the imposing installation were infested with all manner of magical creatures, but none would stand in our way now. Once inside the structure, we were welcomed by one who claimed to serve as warden of the despicable place. He seemed somewhat off... even by our standards, yet he seemed amicable enough, for a cowl. Kang immediately started shouting and demanding we see Imoen, which seemed wasted on the warden, for he was most eerily calm and composed, even going as far as offering us a tour of the grounds. As his "tour" ended, he revealed himself to be none other than Irenicus himself, and he commanded his lackey to restrain us so he could commence with his experiments.
- Much to my dismay, his lackey, my friend, Yoshimo, had been deceiving us all this time, attempting to gain our favour so we would blindly walk into his trap. I finally found some solid ground, someone I could trust, and now that ground is gone from me, eroded away at the foundation. It goes to show that one should not garner illusions of camaraderie in this vile coil of depravity called life. Everyone stands alone in the darkness.
- The fiend had locked us all away, close enough to see Maeglin and Imoen being defiled both physically and mentally by his wicked magics. To no surprise, we found Bodhi standing next to the twisted tyrant, discussing things that seemed wholly unassociated with us. As they spoke of old grudges and retributions long overdue, it seemed as though we were not even present to them, as if our very existence was meaningless. Only Maeglin and Imoen seemed to matter.
- Their ultimate goal, as it turned out, was obtaining Maeglin's tainted soul and the divine power that came with it. While we were all aware of Maeglin's ungodly heritage, I can safely say none of us were prepared to hear that the gentle Imoen was just as tainted as her unscrupulous brother. She was no longer the happy-go-lucky sunshine that broke up the dim despondence that seemed to cling to us like a shadow. Irenicus had been tampering with her mind all this time, taking away the light of her soul, leaving it a barren, hopeless waste for her mind to wander aimlessly.
Exorcising the Demons:
- I did not witness much of Irenicus' vehement tirade as I felt myself slipping in and out of consciousness in that cramped, tubular glass shell. Before I realised what had happened, I found myself, along with the rest of my companions, trapped in some dank dungeon, left to fend for ourselves at the behest of the belligerent Bodhi. She told us to run, for she did not enjoy hunting stationary prey, after which she vanished into the shadows, leaving us with nothing but two nervous wrecks and our own devices.
- It seemed, while I was out, Maeglin had been subjected to the same nefarious curse that they used on Imoen, turning him into the same morose mess as her. On and on they went about their missing souls, like none of us have had it hard of late. Arguably, I can understand their predicament, but as in most cases, we had no time to waste on lingering and mournfully reminiscing of how nice it is to have a soul. It is a daily struggle for some, and they act as though they're somehow special!
- As always, I spurred us on and lead us through the ever encroaching darkness, letting my brilliant mind do most of the work. This dungeon was mired with traps and riddles that seemed made to topple none but infant babes or mentally disabled people like Kang. Naturally, none of them posed much of a challenge to one such as I and even with my mind in different places, I solved them all in but mere moments.
- Naught but riddles and tricks would serve as a dungeon for no man, so it came as no surprise that the lower levels held several brutal packs of monsters to boot. I let our loutish dwarf take care of most of those, grunt work is not meant for important people after all.
- All in all, the monsters we encountered paled in comparison to what we faced when we neared what seemed like the end of this labyrinth of menial labour. We activated a statue blocking the way out, but in doing so, Bodhi leapt from the shadows with her minions, threatening to end our life right then and there. We were not new to combating these bloodsuckers, so we stood and faced her, ready to do battle once more, but before we could do anything, Maeglin started screaming, introducing us to a whole new reign of terror.
- He sprouted horns and spikes from his ever deforming body and within seconds he tore apart Bodhi's minions and sent her reeling in horror, fleeing the very sight of him. Much as I've always had a spot of trepidation concerning Maeglin's looks, I never felt as though he was a danger, until now. He turned toward us after shredding the vampire scum and took a swing at me and some of the others. I was stuck down before I even realised what had happened and our party was locked in a terrifying battle with our vicious leader. Luckily, Maeglin's rage subsided after a few moments, and the few he felled were restored by Donathal shortly after.
- When I regained my composure, I found Maeglin sitting in a corner with his face buried in his palms, muttering to himself while Imoen was trying to console him. This new form was apparently the manifestation of his evil legacy, brought forth by thoughts of malice and destruction. This would shed a new light, or rather, a new darkness, upon our ever deteriorating state of mind, throwing our group in disarray once more.
After our ship's arrival at the Brynnlaw docks, Saemon was the first off the ship. Followed by his leave, Sime warned us of his possible ill intentions. While I was a little suspicious myself, it didn't really matter at the time as we had other things to do. That would be short lived, however, when he awaited us on the docks with a group of vampires. As it would seem, he was under their employ. Unfortunately Mr Havarian escaped so I couldn't bring my justice on him at that time.
Following this ambush we were quick to make our way to the local inn where we would meet our informant, Sanik. Unfortunately, shortly after our arrival, an assassin had appeared and killed Sanik before we could get the information we desired. While all seemed loss at that moment, the innkeeper informed us of the situation that lead to this assassination, and another who might be able to provide us with information we had been looking for. Lady Galvena, mistress of the local courtesan's guild, had sent the assassin after Sanik fell in love with one of the courtesans, Claire, and proclaimed her his wife. Claire was our new objective now, and so we set off immediately for the guildhall.
Once there, we were greeted outside by one of the ladies. Seeing as it could serve as a way in, I used my charm and even got a price drop as we followed her in, before abandoning her in the room to deal with Galvena. Of course she didn't care to stop us, and she would be glad to see Galvena dead. Just a few doors down we would find Galvena and put an end to her evilness and save Claire.
With the rescue successful, we brought Claire to a friend of hers, Golin, after breaking the news about Sanik to her. With them indebted to my group for the rescue, they shared the information we were searching for and we learned of two ways in: either we could go in as deviants with the pirate lord's help or we could get a cowl's wardstone to pass through the gates. After some thought we searched out the cowl, as going in as deviants seemed to place us in a position where it may be trouble getting back out. We found the local cowl we were informed about, Perth, and our meeting with him ended in blood unfortunately. Still, I believe this way will give us a better chance of success in our mission, as we would likely have been stripped of our weapons and gears and be held behind bars as prisoners the other way. In my own searching around his house I found an odd spellbook and, taking a look inside, I was surprised to find that I was capable of reading, and probably casting, these spells. I'll have to try it out next chance I get. I am not sure if we are going to have resistance when we pass through the gates, so it may not be a long wait. We are off now, and hopefully we'll have Imoen very soon. As a bonus I can hope Irenicus will die today too, but saving friends comes first.
Aside from the lack of detail however, i do feel like it's better this way, so here's Andre, back on track, sort of...
Darkest Deliverance:
- I cannot recall when last I took the time to write of our exploits, for I can scarcely recall when last I was in any state to do so. So much has happened, I'm not entirely sure where to start. I 'awoke' at the temple of Ilmater only to find I had been running rampant for the longest time, like some deranged lunatic. It feels like some feverish nightmare, unsure if what I remember really happened or not, and what took place in the moments that my mind seems to draw a blank.
- Looking back in my journal, I find little to suggest when exactly my sanity was compromised so, but by all accounts, my blade bore much blame on my belligerent disposition of late. I can only surmise from the scraps of my auspicious account, and the troubling tales told by my friends, that my lapse in sanity cost us all more than I would care to admit, and yet, my friends have seen fit to forgive my oblivious onslaught.
- It seems an eternity past since I last remember things clearly, since before my capture by Irenicus even. That accursed blade, determinant of the darkness that enveloped my world with tangible tendrils, took hold of my inquisitive mind and warped it into some depraved version of itself, dulling my senses and depriving me of courage and common sense alike.
- Fear, they often say, can be a healthy thing, preparing the body for danger and pain, a precursor and prevalence to endurance. For me, it was my entire existence for the last few weeks - which felt more like years - not so much preparing me, but conditioning me. If not for my companions filling in the blanks, that dark abyss of dread and despondency would be all I could remember. And if not for their kindness and acceptance, it would be all that I am, an all consuming void, tearing apart everything in its path.
- Back in the Windspear debacle, I could not fathom why Kang and the others were antagonising me as they were, why they would want me gone or spread such malicious lies about me. All my theories and speculations could not prepare me for the truth that was now so blatantly staring me in the face. Everything they said was true, I did try to kill Donathal, and Kang on several occasions, heck, they say I even tried to turn poor Imoen into a rodent for no apparent reason.
- Even though I was under the influence of that condemnable curse, I cannot in good conscience ignore my transgressions, nor can I hope that a simple apology can make right the wrong I've done. All I can do now is do as I've always intended, which is to assist Maeglin in his quest, but perhaps with a touch more fervor than I had originally planned. I always hoped to bear witness to his exploits and regale one and all of the heroes of Candlekeep, without actually having to do anything myself. I might not admit it freely, but I've always felt just a step behind of my companions, always falling short when I am most needed.
- And yet, as I stood alone, peering into the darkness, Maeglin, bereft of his own light, stood by me and pulled me back from the precipice when most others had given up hope. With my full faculties restored I now have but one purpose in mind, and that is to repay him in kind. To regain what was stolen and restore Maeglin and Imoen so that they may finally see this damnable destiny of theirs through to the end.
Soul Captive:
- Ive taken the time and liberty to compare my notes to those of Maeglin's and I am loathe to believe all I am reading. The time to act rather than read, however, is now upon us, as I am told we are just a few small steps behind Irenicus and his consorts. Bodhi should be back in her lair now, according to some high elves we encountered who were also in pursuit of the dastardly duo, for some yet unexplained reason.
- As I'm told, the extraction of the divine essence within our two resident bhaalspawn led us into the dreadful Underdark after a short stint into shark-infested waters. Details are scarce on these events, but I do believe it involved some form of regicide and ritual sacrifice... wish I was there.
- Our passage through the darkness was even more eventful it seems, involving, but not exclusive to, several counts of conspiracy, theft, murder, overthrowing local governments, and of course, the obligatory demon summoning, all to placate some ancient dragon. While all the while there was this really obnoxious fool throwing fits, disrupting their progress and endangering their lives. All in all, it still sort of sounds like me, just more violent in intent.
- Regardless, they overcame all hardships and were able to befriend this dragon, who in turn, secured safe passage back to the surface world. They even managed to subdue me as my condition worsened near the end. Maeglin had disposed of the source of my madness, so that I might be restored later. If nothing else, knowing that blade is in the deepest crevasse, in the darkest undercrofts this side of Faerûn, where no sane man would tread willingly, fills my heart with some much needed solace.
- As we resurfaced, we emerged amidst an elven camp of sorts, and were scrutinised and interrogated instantly regarding Irenicus' whereabouts. Once we all agreed that we were on the same side, they shared some crucial information with us, providing us with a means of striking back at the real menace in our lives. We were to seek some thorned lamp, of sorts, for which purpose I'm not sure. Sadly, while I'm no longer indisposed, my mind is not as it once was, and I keep forgetting things, even when they were told but moments before.
- On our way back to the city, we ran into some old acquaintances from up north who seemed more than willing to assist in our quest. Drizzt and his fellows were apparently looking for a pink ham, though I fail to see why they'd look for any other colour of ham, that does not seem at all healthy. Regardless, they offered their assistance all the same, and one does not turn away aid from someone of such renown.
- At nightfall, we set out for the graveyard, ready to up the stakes, so to speak. Hopefully things will go well, and we can finally restore our party back to its fullest potential, we've come to far to lose one of our own again now.