Meera's Journal : of fauns and Feywild

Melendil 14

With a rising sun and cheerful step our group set out from Guardholm, headed northeast towards Sagebrook. Aesthelus and Weskin joined me though sadly Fontina, such a lovely name, was feeling ill and not able to come adventuring. I'll make a note to check on the lass when I get back, can't have the whole manor down with the flu. Perhaps I can purchase some chickens to make a good stew. I'll need carrots and celery as well, oh and some quality grain to roll out the noodles. I'd best bring parchment and make a list.

The morning passed as we traveled. These two seem like good folk and it's especially good to have another halfling around. Dwarfs are strange folk but always reliable. It was about lunch time when we came to a split in the road. A large signpost noted farms to the south, Annavielle, Magar, and Draxon. We followed the signs and soon came upon a large farmhouse, painted a wonderful yellow. While in the farmhouse itself was in good condition the rest of the farm was messy and ill kept. These humans, they try and be all worldly but they've no clue how to keep something as simple as a farm in good shape.

Seeing a sign noting the owner we sought our group approached the house and knocked on the front door. A man, presumably Annavielle, opens the door to talk. Well, not the door exactly, instead he merely flipped open a tiny mail slot. (ugh humans! Don't they know how to greet a guest? Have they never heard of mead, bread, and cheese? I'd not be surprised by city folk, but you'd think a man of the land would have better sensibilities.).

The farmer was oddly distressed and panicked, instead of talking he tried to shoo us away, feigning ignorance. We suspected that there were others there, possibly putting the man in danger. Rather than arouse suspicions and put the farmer at risk we withdrew to the road and conversed. Our small stature was a boon on this day (as it is on many days), allowing the three of us to conceal our position using only the stone wall by the roadside. Aesthelus called upon his diety and projected his eyes into the farmhouse, an impressive and quite useful feat.

To our alarm Aesthelus saw several brigands present and it looked like they were threatening to kill the good farmer. We dashed into the home and made quick work of the dastardly fellows. After questioning the last thug, it became clear that they meant no good. It seems that the troublesome folk were 'Shatterspine' mercenaries and promised to help the farmer only double crossed him. To add insult it came out that his ungrateful daughter had encouraged the bandits, hoping to get her inheritance sooner. Shameful! Had it been my home, she'd have gotten a good thwacking with a wooden spoon. Not a mere soup spoon either, a nice heavy ladle. Speaking of ladles, I wonder if the manor even has a decent ladle. I'd need a full set if I'm to make soup.

After tempers calmed a bit we spoke with Annavielle about the matter at hand. It seemed he had several problems that needed solving. The fauns, who had become drunken troublemakers of late, were tormenting him day and night. They had left some sort of dangerous contraption in the place of his scarecrow. He wasn't sure of the nature of it, but he was certain he wanted it gone. In addition his grain silo was full of "evil monkeys". Uncertain, Aesthulus once again cast his vision afar, this time into the grain silo where he found hunched forms. Note: this is not the place to purchase grain. Or chickens for that matter.

The first lunchtime of the day was overdue and with plenty of adventure ahead of us, we spent the night enjoying the hospitality and company of the farm. Without any other information on the scarecrow or the "evil monkeys" it seemed best to investigate the fauns. Perhaps we could clear all three issues at once. The next day we set out toward the vineyard hoping to gather wine which we could use to calm the fauns.

We took the last bandit with us, at first in shackles, then later contracted to work for us. It seemed safer then simply letting him free and the promise of gold kept him from simply running off. We would later turn him in to the mayor(?) or Eridor, who'd take him to Sagebrook to be tried for his crimes.

Not half an hour down the road, past an area full of hillocks and tall grass, we found the vineyard. Right on the edge of a lake as Annavielle has described. The area reminds me of home and times past when... things were different.

. . .

The farm was tended by Elia and Mista, two shockingly young girls. The house had the feel of a hunting lodge and was well kept. Despite their age these girls seem to be able to handle themselves, good for them, though I worry about children without a parent to guide them. On the subject of the fauns the two humans had a differing opinion than Annavielle. The fauns were no trouble as far as they knew. While they had no dealings with the fey beyond selling them wine the girl's parents would go into the Brazenwood and talk to the creatures on occasion. We purchased some wine for the fauns, gathered directions from the two girls, and set off into the forest.

A short hour of travel around the serene lake and we happened upon some odd ruins, which we'd later discover were an entrance to the fey realm. A cumbled stone structure with a large tree in the center. The fauns have the key for this side of the gateway, but, I get ahead of myself, back to the path. Not more than half an hour past the treeline we came to a split in the road. To the right, and another half an hours walk, is the small hamlet of Eridor. Mista travels alone from the vineyard to Eridor so it would seem that the Brazenwood is not a dangerous place.

Another half an hour and we came to a fork in the path. To the left we would find the home of some man or creature named Kavoc. To the right is a set of 'standing stones' and the fauns. We investigated the left and found a crumbled building, guarded by a strange mannequin (the same thing which we saw at Annavielle's farm) and two ogres, Smashmar and Crushnor. A blight on the land those nasty creatures are. We made quick work of them and investigated the ruins.

The structure was filled with skeletons, some small and others larger, which posed little threat to us. Flashes of steel, fire, and radiant energy destroyed the cursed creatures. During the battle a voice, later claiming to be Kavoc, shouted at as from an unknown location. The mayor of Eridor would later tell us that Kavoc is a name that has been around for 'hundreds of years' though he hasn't been seen for 'around 100 years'. It's unclear if the voice was indeed Kavoc or a trickster merely using the name.

Kavoc claimed to have created the mannequins and was quite upset that we'd dispatched his undead guards. The ogre's were also in his employ, hired to keep the fauns at bay. After negotiation he gave up a 'control gem' allowing us to direct the mannequins. We left him to his 'experiments'. It seems likely he is some soft of necromancer. It's unclear what he's up to and I think it best that the manor return to investigate soon.

Although we killed the ogres and undead easily, it taxed our resources. We decided to go to Eridor and be rid of the Shatterspine bandit. The mayor, Parret Pelham, was welcoming and agreed to take the rogue. We spent the night in in the Pelham home, eating hearty food. I entertained the children with simple tricks of magic, much to their delight. After the little ones had been put to bed, learned some about the troubles of the tiny town. The Shatterspine had been mercenaries contracted by the government but when the war made the money dry up they took to crime. The people of Eridor would be glad to be done with them, considering them bandits. He also spoke of kobolds to the south, which had been encroaching further and further towards the town. Perhaps the manor could assist routing those two sources of chaos.

Melendil 15

The sun rose the next morning, as it's likely to do every morning, and we returned to the wood, intent on finding the fauns. Taking the second fork to the right we easily found the standing stones. From there it was a short walk down a game trail into a grove strewn with bottles and creatures sleeping under the leaves.

We had finally found the fauns.

The fey, sadly, were not in good shape. They awoke hung over, desperate for drink, and weary. Although they are pranksters by nature their games had been escalated nearly to their breaking point by a Satyr located in the fey realm. Something evil was driving the satyr into a fenzy and it in turn was driving the fauns to cause more and more trouble. The fauns had a key to the fey realm but wouldn't part with it without assistance from us. To the north was a group of nymphs which were being terrorized by an ogre, causing the nymphs to go into hiding. The fauns were desperate to see the water fey. They agreed to lend us the key to the fey realm of 'Treefall' if we could get the nymphs to come out and play. Fortune smiled on us and we found the ogre sleeping near the nymph's pond. After executing the brute the nymphs spoke Aesthulus briefly. We returned to the fauns and delivered the good news.

With the key in hand we proceeded into the fey realm. It was a place like no other I've been. The air was heavy and teaming with the raw essence of life. Everything seemed to be made of live wood or plants. It was nothing short of amazing, the entire place had an energy not unlike a summer's night full of feast, beer, a roaring bonfire, and passion.

We found the satyr lying on a bed, sobbing and nearly insane. Something vile called the Melding had infected the realm. It was some sort of blending of the Feywild and another plane, allowing evil to spill into his home. The massive tree in which he lived had been able to confine the spread of the corruption but not the symptoms of it's presence. If we were to assist him we would need to clear many 'boils' off of the tree. With those cleared and a set of rune stones in hand we could open a room below, which contained the worst of the corruption.

When struck, we soon learned that the boils erupted with energy. Red spewed flames, yellow brought a gout of acid, green spread healing, purple a flock of butterflies, and orange a spray the sap used to make a tanglefoot bag. We encountered a group of devilish monkeys (perhaps the same that infested the grain silo at Annavielle's farm) as well as some bird demons called gryphs along the way. Tired and drained we returned to the material plane and rested at the vineyard.

Melendil 16

The next day we returned to Treefall, intent on finishing the matter. The satyr has regained his composure and grateful of the help agreed to come with us to battle the source of the evil. We encountered some sort of bird demon called a gryph and destroyed more of the energized boils. Once we had all the stones, ee slotted the them into heavy doors on four walls of an enclosed chamber. The entire tree rumbled as the doors opened, leaving us face to face with a large bearded demon. Besides the demon, two nasty imps assaulted us, winking in and out of sight. During the battle the satyr fought by our side, commanding one imp to flee and summoning a leopard to assist in destroying the other.

It was not an easy fight and we are lucky to have escaped alive. I count my blessings that the satyr came with us, without his help we may have been overwhelmed. The wounds the demon inflicted left terrible gashes which bleed uncontrollably. We also found that this horror was able to resist even our strongest magic. Thankfully, with force of will and luck some of our spells were able to bypass the fiends protective barrier.

When the demon was almost defeated it winked out of existence. We had thought the day won only to discover the fiend on the other side of the chamber with another bearded demon freshly summoned. Unsure if we could win but unwilling to abandon the satyr we redoubled our efforts. Arrows flew and spells flashed across that tiny chamber and we felled the horrid creature. The satyr's magic, perhaps made stronger by the death of the demon, finally overcame the summoned creature and the fey bound the terrible fiend to run far, far away from his home.

That left us with a single rune stone which opened up a door to a 'prismatic boil'. The satyr warned us that this was a dangerous thing and not to be taken lightly. We burst the blight, determined to see the last of the corruption erased. Energy pulsed through the entire tree and every inch of the wood radiated with each color of energy at once. We safely avoided all of the effects, including a stray fireball which could have killed us all, and were rewarded with a rose colored stone.

With that, it seemed the realm was cleansed. They satyr would no longer drive the fauns into a furor and balance would return to the area around the farms. Not all was made whole though. The satyr warned us that the source of the Melding remained and that the evil would eventually return.

We crossed the gate back to the material plane, injured and drained. Before returning home we stopped by Annavielle's farm to collect the mannequin using the control gem. It seemed too dangerous to leave and that if we left it in Annavielles control that he would abuse the power.

I'm quite proud of our little group. We fought bravely, helped the innocent, and purged evil. It was an adventure I'll not soon forget and one that taught me quite a bit. Up until now I have relied on my spear and cunning to solve problems as the flows of magic while easy to access were difficult to weave. This trip was different and I feel as if something has changed. I was somehow able to twist the the spray of light I've always relied into an arc of flames, I don't know why I didn't think of it before though I'm not sure I could have managed it before.Beyond that I find that I've been able to tap into the well of energy left by my lineage in ways I've never imagined.

Most surprisingly, a strange thing has happened to Brie, my ever present companion. She's grown so much since she was a tiny orphan kit, huddled against the edge of an embankment while rain and lightning crashed down around her. It seems that sleeping at my feet has endowed her with part of my energy. She's become cunning and alert beyond anything I've seen in an animal. What's stranger is that I can feel what she's feeling and at times see through her eyes. There's some sort of persistent link as well, easily wide enough to pass the energy of a spell.

That accounts for the tale of the past three days. It was good to get this down on paper. In the morning I'll make a copy for Percival since he'll want to add it to the records. It's time to cuddle up in bed, my bed. One only needs several blankets, some hot buttered rum, a cut of cheese, a cookie or three, and a tiny fox to feel at home.

Meera's Journal : of darkness and demon

set out, find drow scout.
encounter at camp.
malika and the ring
the extra drow
the blocked cave / hatch
Cauldron
Back to town

To the keeper
Mandragora
Elves
keeper meeds
sleep

abbey

The Underdark and places much deeper

Things I never thought I'd see again.

Home.

Food. Actual cooked food.

My bed.

My dear kit with your fluff and icy nose.

The smiles of those I've fought next to. Ellamir. Leopold. Pan. Steve. Percival. Weskin...

It's been two, maybe three, days since we lost the odd Doctor and Aesthelus. It hardly seems like a measurable amount of time and yet I'll never forget what that demon made me feel.

Yes, creature of hell, it felt good. It felt good to burn the life out Sundada. I knew it wouldn't bring them back. Hell, it might have even been wrong but my hands couldn't reach your neck. They still can't. I'm not strong enough, not yet at least.

Was I different then? Before this trek into the deep?

I suppose the story begins a bit before that. It begins in a room full of death. The bodies of drow, perhaps a dozen, strewn about. The bodies of Dr Thugolonkus and Aethelus likely still seeping blood as Percival and Weskin made their way back to the manor.

In that moment there was a silence, the kind you only hear when you somewhere far away from home and hearth. The silence of being truly alone.

Except I wasn't alone of course. Malika towered over me while took what I assumed were my last breaths. I expected her to pull the life out of me, but instead she began picking over the dead and... talking. She was flippant, almost jovial. It was unnerving.

For some reason she wanted me alive. It seems she needed my "abilities" and as well as those of the slaves she later took from the drow witch Avaline.

I was to follow her orders. It went without saying what my other option was. Our first stop was in the nearby torture chamber. A man by the name of Cort was shackled there, likely for quite some time and she let me talk to him briefly. In retrospect this was likely just so she could revel in the glimmer of hope it brought him. Just enough time so that he would have the will to beg for his life.

Her demeanor changed slightly as she searched this room. She began acting and speaking with thinly veiled purpose and intent. From her actions in combat it was clear that she wanted the doctor alive and was annoyed that she'd only been able to trap me. Her convoluted plans seemed to include several of us from the manor though what those plans are is still unknown. In her ramblings she alluded to other planes and the forces which control the material plane. The name Iskund was mentioned, and Zigfreid. It was hard to follow.

Then, confused, Cort spoke up. If only he'd stayed silent.

Maybe Malika was distracted and forgot he was there. Maybe she just wanted to let him stew for a bit before she sucked the life out of him. I suppose it doesn't matter, her claws had barely touched his skin before he crumpled. What was it she said then? Something about snapping a twig or crushing a flower? I would have screamed except I knew she would have enjoyed it. She made me drag his body out of the room. A task not worthy of her valuable time.

We returned to the dead drow to find Sundada stirring, barely alive. She put me to the task of healing the assassin. I'm not sure what she hoped I'd do with the weakened drow. I don't suppose I was thinking of much at that moment except the sound of her weapons cutting into my friends and their screams. The rest of the room faded away and there was a noise in my ears like that of a rushing river. I think Sundada spoke. I think she said something, maybe to me, maybe to Malika. I didn't listen and I didn't care. I slipped my hands under her tunic and found my way to the area just over her heart.

Memories of my two fallen friends came bubbling up as I poured divine energy into the evil being. My energy can heal. It can heal some. I knew full well what it would do and I did it anyways. I burned the life out of that drow. She died on the tips of my fingers and I didn't care.

. . .

Silence again. Malika is standing inches from me, her eyes staring into me. Perhaps to revel in the rage or perhaps because she saw something new, something dark and valuable.

With Sundada dead and no one left to torture she ordered me to collect what I wanted before we set out. I didn't expect to ever take orders from her but I knew my life might depend on the magic items I could gather. I took what I could from the drow and my allies, saying a prayer for the souls of the two who's souls are worth a damn.

From there we began to walk, an activity that Malika was rarely required to to perform. Watching that ungainly chicken legged creature try to remain sultry over the rocky terrain was a sight to see. It made me forgot where I was and almost smiled. Almost. That was the last of that feeling though.

A drow noble and a group of guards were approaching. While a demon would likely walk free in the Underdark, a halfling would certainly be killed on the spot. Malika had thought of this and handed me a jeweled collar from the room that housed Cort. I was to be her slave or at least play the part. I suppose the situation hadn't really formed in my head yet but in that instant it became clear as a summer day.

Malika was the only thing keeping me from a swift death.

Like it or not my only options were assist her in whereever her plans led or die in the caves. I suppose I held onto the hope that I'd find a way to turn the tables on her. Perhaps slip a knife into her ribs and twist.

The succubus's charms made quick work of the patrol and she sent them off on a fools errand. For whatever reason she doesn't value the dark elves in the way she does the adventures of the manor. In her eyes we have some quality, perhaps a determination to fight, that others don't. It's an asset and thus belongs to her.

As the dread crept in I lost my interest in banter. We walked for several hours in the quiet dark until we came to the stone tower.

New allies

The tower's owner is a drow necromancer named Avaline the Wicked. She cuts up the bodies of the living, stitches them together, and re-animates the corpse. Several of the imposing abominations wandered the floors of the structure acting as guards and watchdogs.

Malika and Avaline talked briefly about some sort of vault and a valuable object contained within. Avaline had some control over the forces guarding the vault and Malika wanted those troops withdrawn. I kept my eyes down and tried to listen as best I could but the tables covered in blood and viscera were hard to ignore. As were the cages lining the room stuffed with humanoids.

In the end the troops of the Twisted Blade would be withdrawn and Malika would take some slaves to assist her in the raid. She left it to me to choose the few that would live. Ultimately, only three met with her approval came with us.

The first was an engineer named Orlec. He has skill with a blade and even more with a bow. The second, a human named Alara. She's fast on her feet and deadly with her hands. Thankfully she's got a practical head on her shoulders as well. The final choice was the creature named Cider. It's nature is still slightly unclear, though it showed compassion for life beyond what meager reserves I had. Throughout the journey it was eerily obsessed with bones, several times using magic to strip the flesh from bodies to gather parts of the skeleton.

Malika let us rest for the night so I could regain my arcane energies. All of us found beds except Cider. She gave in to Malika's sway and, well, the three of us slept as best we could.

In the morning Malika wasted no time in setting us to task. We were to follow directions to a pit, slay a basilisk, and retrieve it's heart. Oddly Malika promised our 'freedom' if we completed this task, though I was skeptical that we could trust the demon and even less sure how valuable that freedom would be this deep underground.

Luckily, Orlec knew quite a bit about the creatures but it would still be no easy task. The directions were simple and the journey not long. Near the pit we encountered an abandoned male drow named Paraclyn Whiteclaw. He guarded his house using some sort of fungus which consumes heat and produces deadly cold. I wandered too close and was struck by a shard of ice. I braced for pain but instead felt the white energy build inside of me. The cold barely effected me.

In that moment I remembered my mother walking out into the snow during a blizzard wearing nothing but her night clothes. When she returned I remember her eyes, they were vibrant in a way I'd never seen as if fueled by an inner light. This is beyond that, my connection to that energy is growing stronger by the day. The harder I push against it the more it rises. How far will this energy grow?

Alara and Cider can speak the language of the underdark and talked to the man, trying to get him to lead us to the pit. Eventually he turned on us and we were forced to fight. Hereklin had a slug creature penned up, the kind made from twisted magic and tortured bodies of good folk. We dispatched the unfortunate aberration and at Cider's insistence left the drow unconscious.

Further down that path we found the pit Malika spoke about guarded by a small contingent of drow. Despite outnumbering us they posed little threat. The soldiers fell to our blades and spells but the leader escaped into the pit. We gave chase, destroying ballista as we descended a slope.

It felt almost normal to once again be shoulder to shoulder with companions fighting our way through enemies. I didn't trust them but it was better than being alone with Malika. I knew the basilisk was up ahead and that there was a real chance some of us would end up as stone. I hoped that some of them survived if only to keep me company and get me out of Malika's grasp. How quickly fear eats away at you. Was I already willing to use people and walk away? No. I would not sink to her level. We would all make it out of here, no matter what it took.

At the bottom of the cavern we ran into an all too familiar problem. A wall of magical darkness greeted us at the edge of a water filled room. The drow leader was on the other side and after a short discussion sent the basilisk after us. Using masks from the chamber where Cort died we were able to kill the beast without risk. I'm normally careful not to expend all my energies lightly but in this moment I lost that care. I threw explosive fire over and over into the fray, burning not just the beast but every surface the drow had touched.

The basilisk fled into the darkness and the drow leader hoped to use the confusion of battle to get the drop on us. Cider's magic sent the elf off to kill the basilisk instead. The drow returned to the far side of the darkness and pleaded for it's life. We demanded the body of their precious creature and they gave it up. The heart acquired, we returned and delivered it to Malika and Avaline.

True to her nature Malika's promise of freedom was not what it seemed. The four of us were to accompany her to the 'vault' and defeat the creature standing between Malika and the item. The guard was a golem, a creature constructed and animated with magic. Golems are naturally immune to the flows of magic, which explained why Malika needed adventurers, though it wouldn't be clear until later why that included me. Though these constructs can be quite powerful this one was weaker, being made of wood and not stone or metal.

Excited to get her hands on the object of her desire the four of us set out under Malika's watchful eye. To my shock we returned to the site of the original battle. My mind raced at the thought of slipping up to the surface and to home. Being so close and yet still trapped by Malika was wretched. A detail which I'm sure she was enjoying.

The group convinced Malika to let us gather more equipment from the now rotting bodies. Begrudgingly she agreed and we gathered all that was left. As we gathered what arms and armor we could I noted that none of the items I'd left had been removed, which meant a party from the manor hadn't returned. I hastily wrote a note, hoping to get a message to them and slipped it into the shirt of the Doctor.

After gathering what we could Malika led us through a few corridors to one of the many locked doors in the area. A key I'd taken from Sundada fit the lock and opened into a large round chamber. Inside was an imposing, moss covered statue, wearing a gleaming crown.

For reasons I didn't understand yet Malika had promised our freedom once the guardian was defeated. This seemed at odds with everything I knew about her plans, yet standing there was the only thing standing between us and returning to the surface.

Expecting the construct to be vulnerable to fire we had come prepared with vials of alchemist fire. The foe sprayed us with gruesome spikes but as we had hoped fire bit into it rapidly. With only some moderate injuries and no casualties the battle went as we expected.

Malika's actions, on the other hand, were not at all what we expected.

The Crown of Awakening

In the same instant that the golem fell Malika snapped her magic at me. Instead of commanding me to hand her the relic the instructions forced into my mind were that I put it on. It took all my will but I resisted the command, knowing full well that I could neither run nor resist forever.

Malika had expected me to comply and in the brief moment I had I instead cast a spell allowing me to see magic. Normally it takes a few moments of examining the mild glow of an item to discern it's purpose. My plan was to delay Malika with words while I studied the item in my hands.

When the spell effect took hold I looked down. The crown was like nothing I've seen before. The radiance was nearly blinding. Whatever this thing was it was it was far beyond the power of anything I'd seen. I tried to sort out the aura but in doing so forgot to concentrate on resisting Malika. With a snap of her fingers a spell fell upon me and I began to place the crown on my head.

Having heard the tale of Zigfreid I feared the worst. In moments I would belong to her, possibly for eternity. I would burn the manor to the ground, killing all those I held dear. I would travel with my new master and commit unspeakable horrors.

The jeweled crown slipped down onto my head and connected with the wells of energy inside me. It drew upon that energy like a starving man before a feast. The process drained me and left me weaker, a weakness which I knew would not fade as long as the crown remained.

This item not made of magic woven by mortals. It's an artifact of being beyond the material plane. Not only that, but it's intelligent. I can talk to it.

From withing the item came a distant but deafening booming voice. The voice appears to be the crown, not some creature trapped within it. It's difficult to talk to since it seems to lack a clear understanding of the mortal realm but a few things are clear.

• The crown is drawn to my heritage and the energy that affords me. It draws on that energy to feed its powers though it does so with "reservation".

• That drain is slowly killing me.

• The crown has a purpose. It speaks of awakening and confrontation, of creatures outside this realm called sleepers which manipulate our world. These creatures have some relation to my lineage and wish to see "my kind" dead.

• The crown claims to prefer those of a kind heart to accomplish it's goals and it alludes to danger should those of other persuasions be able to wield it's power.

• It has no love for demons and sees Malika as a trivial inconvenience, which it is willing to help us stamp out quickly.

• The crown offers help in the form of 'guideposts' embeded in my mind which will guide our journey. It's possible it can see into the future.

• Within the next day, something will change. It lacks either the ability or willingness to explain what that is.

• If I remove the crown now, I'll fall into a coma for at least a week. It's also possible something else could occur, which may have been Malika's intent in giving me this item.

• Malika's plans are far, far beyond what we know. Despite our best efforts she thinks of us as little more than flies. Not unlike her control of my life in the underdark, the manor exists only because stamping us out isn't relevant to her plans. Everyone I care for is in danger.

Finally, and above all else the crown scares me.