# From The Diary Of Doorag Marzipan...



## xabth (Mar 3, 2004)

***I'll admit it, I'm a sucker for feedback. 

   This story, a diary of my characters adventures thus far, is already posted at another board which will remain nameless, least I violate any CoC rules. Theres not a lot of traffic over there, and I'm hopeing for constructive comments and critisisim from the gentle readers from this board. 

   It should be noted that my writing is pretty sparse near the beginning of this diary. When I started it I had no idea that it would be read by anyone other than my own group, nor that it would reach it's current proportions. As i began posting it on a public forum, I also made an attempt to expand on my writing style a little in an attempt to give more depth.

   Thanks for taking the time, if you do read this.*** 


The Diary of Doorag Marzipan: Book I

   Ptchwl 6 

 Have recently arrived in Toulouse, a town I have not visited for quite some time. I believe the last time the Old Man and I came here for supplies and news it was my seven-tenth summer. Not much has changed in four years. I don't plan on staying long. Perhaps a day or two to pad my supplies and get my bearings before heading to Havilah. 

   Ptchwl 7 

  My journey to Havilah has been postponed. Baran, the captain of the guard here in Toulouse, has asked me to accompany a small band of scouts to check on the condition of a monastery a days walk from here. According to him the monks that reside there visit the town every year around this time. Thus far they have not come, and Baran is worried for them. He has asked myself and four others to make sure they are well, and has even added the incentive of a twenty-five gold payment. I would do it without the coin, but I can't say it won't come in handy in the days to come.  

  We leave tomorrow. Five of us in all. I have only met my new companions briefly, but already I have a good feeling about them. There is Griffon, a human warrior; Coribdis, another human, young, but he carries a bow. I hope he knows how to use it. There is Taklinn, a dwarven priest of Clangeden; obviously devout and zealous. Mayhap a bit OVER zealous, but one must admire faith. And last, besides myself, is another small folk. Her name is Happy, and she’s a Greenie. She packs a lot of blades, I'll say that for her! 

   Ptchwl 8 

 The day has been a harsh journey to the east, into the forested mountains and a winter storm that seems awfully harsh. The end of the day found us at the monastery where no life appears to exist. It is bitterly cold, so cold that the door was iced over. We found a dead monk in the frozen pond in the front, but that was to be the least of the horrors we'd face.  

  Upon entering the monastery Griffon was attacked by a Delver (?). The ensuing fight was short, dark, and ultimately we proved victorious, but not without some damage being done to Griffon.  

  Pressing on, we found the kitchen, and beyond it a dining room that showed signs of struggle. Two skeletons dressed in the rags of monks robes suddenly animated and attacked! My companions fought valiantly! Happy risked her life to help Taklinn deal with one of the undead, and with supreme team work we were able to dispatch them.  

  Stairs lead up to sleeping quarters, empty and cold. More stairs led down to a basement and an odd furnace, and in that room were we nearly brought down! From a pile of coal an undead hand slapped at me, nearly knocking me senseless! I could do little but make my escape as my stalwart comrades stepped in to deal with the atrocity. It was then that Taklinn was hit hard enough to be brought down. The rest of the party fell upon the monkish zombie with vengeance in mind, and it soon fell dead. 

  Which finds us here, back in the kitchen, warmed by fire and furnace, keeping careful watch over the unconscious Taklinn. He breaths and sleeps peacefully, which is a good sign. It has been an exhausting day and I must sleep. With all the undead that seem to be in this place I think it would be a good idea to memorize Disrupt Undead. Also, if I have time, I am going to try my hand at scroll scribing. 

   Ptchwl 10 

  Another days rest and we believe Taklinn is out of the woods. He is on the mend, and we think that we'll be able to move on tomorrow or the next day. My scroll work is coming along nicely, but I don't want to over do it. I am doing a bit of healing myself. 

  I have had little time to talk about my companions, and certainly more will be said later, but for now I must write a few small accolades.  

  I feel very lucky to have fallen in with this lot. Though Griffon seems fatalistic and concerned only with finding the monks wine supply, he is a ferocious warrior! Taklinn is a rock, and his healing spells have already come in handy. His axe is a thing to behold, and with it he makes short work of undead skulls. I am quickly seeing where Happy's expertise lies. She is always eager to scout silently ahead and check for traps. Yes, a roguish lass she is, but she seems more about the fun of the caper than the actual loot. One can't fault a small folk for natural curiosity. She is also quite brave. And speaking of brave, Caribdis has the courage to recite poetry in the heat of battle! Such bravery have I rarely seen! He is also quite a shot with his bow, and though he's quite young, I feel we're fortunate to have him. 

  Unfortunately, for my part I seem able to do little more than lug a torch. Still, it's been only a couple of days. I'm sure a spell or two will come in handy when the time comes. 

   Ptchwl 11 

  We head back out tomorrow. Taklinn is back on his feet, but needs a day to recover his spells. Caribdis and Griffon scouted up the stairs briefly and reported a hall full of foreboding doors. In the morning we will set out to get to the bottom of this mystery and root out the evil that infests this once beautiful monastery. 

  My scroll looks good. I believe all has gone well and I now have Unseen Servant on paper.

Ptchwl 12 

  Whew! What a day it has been! Full of combat, mishaps and flaming zombies.  

 We ascended the stairs this morning and the first door we opened found us face to face with a pair of the undead that infest this place. I was able to apply a little flaming oil to one of them while Griffon mopped up the second. All would have gone like clock work had Happy and I not tried to help. We both hurled daggers at the creature, but we both missed and ended up hitting Griffon! He was not badly injured, and seemed to forgive us, but I wouldn't blame him if he holds a bit of resentment against us. Our clumsiness in battle did nothing to alleviate the reputation we small folk have as troublemakers. 

  At any rate, soon after this fight, Caribdis suddenly became terrified and obsessed with fleeing the monastery. He claimed to have seen a ghost or a vision of a woman watching him. He swears that we are in terrible danger, more than we understand. It may be a ghost, but I'm not so sure. The way he made it sound it could well have been someone scrying us. I've seen the Old Man scry plenty of times. It could easily have been Caribdis sensing himself being magically watched. Whatever the case, the mystery deepens, and we will do well to be on our guard. 

   Back to the events of the day, we moved on, checking out the rooms on the upper floor, discovering still undead! One room in particular, the library, seemed positively bursting at the seams with them. Courage, determination and fighting prowess won the day, and I was even able to make use of all the Disrupt Undead spells I'd memorized. Unfortunately, I would prove far less effective in our next fight.  

 After clearing out the second floor we discovered a stair case leading up to the third floor. The first thing we saw upon climbing them was a room with t
wo doors and as many statues. We were leery of the statues, but not leery enough! Taklinn touched one of the doors and the two stone monks sprang to life! We have fought battles, but nothing like this! The two statues moved faster than they should have, and struck with powerful stone fists. Worse yet, the only one of us who seemed capable of hurting them was Griffon, and even he was only just able to dent them. My spells proved useless, and Taklinn, our only other strong fighter, was at a loss. His axe simply lacked the power to breech their stone skin! I tried to aid Griffon and perhaps redeem myself from the dagger throwing incident by helping him to flank one of the statues and hopefully distracting it while Griffon concentrated his attacks. I don't really know if it worked, but in the end Griffons sword was the end for the statue. Good thing, to, for one hit from the statue would surely have been the end of me.  

 Badly wounded, Griffon turned to deal with the second statue, which Taklinn and Caribdis had been managing to stave off, but the magic that gave the stone life must have been finite, for at that point the second statue ceased to move and became harmless granite once again. We took no chances, however, and smashed it to pieces.  

 We were all quite the worse for wear after such a fight, and have decided to bed down for a couple of days to regain our strength before breeching the doors. My Unseen Servant came in quite handy for opening suspect doors. I believe I'll make another such scroll. I feel that my skills have benefited greatly from even this small amount of real world work.  

  Ptchwl 16 

 Today we head back to Toulouse, for victory is ours and the murderous evil that made puppets out of monks has been driven from the monastery. I can only hope that more of their order will eventually come and repopulate the place and bring life back to it.  

   I write this while we rest on the trail back to Toulouse. I haven’t much time, but, extraordinarily enough, there is little to tell. Still, what there is to relate is gripping enough!  

 We rested for two days, honing our blades and reciting our spells, all the while glancing nervously upwards, knowing that we would soon face whatever dwelt behind those last doors. Finally, with our loins properly girded, we fit the correct key into one of the key holes and let the door swing open.  

The creature within greeted us with the hiss of hatred that only the undead can muster. This had obviously once been a high ranking monk, and he was the last stand of evil in this place. He crouched low amongst the ruined room, eager to pounce upon the first to come close enough. But it was not to be.  

  I know that clerics can have power over the undead, and I've seen Taklinn try his hand at rebuking several of the zombies that we've crossed paths with already, all with dismal results. He claims that manipulation of the undead is not his particular forte, and until today he had done nothing to disprove that. But this morning, in the face of the purest evil I have yet to see, Taklinn stepped forward, roaring the name of Clangiden, calling upon the dwarven god to smite this abomination before him.  

  And Clangiden did!  

  The zombie monk suddenly whimpered and cried out in fear and frustration, and fled before the glow that radiated from Taklinn's holy symbol. The pitiful creature sought a way to escape, but there was none. Taklinn backed it into a corner, and held it at bay while it cowered before him. Grif and Caribdis wasted no time in filling it full of bolts and arrows until it lay still.  

   Grif says it is time to move if we want to make it to Toulouse by sundown. I will write more when there is more to tell.

  Ptchwl 18 

 It's been far too long since my last entry. The Old Man in the Pointy Hat would not be pleased. He always said that the keeping of a journal is an exercise in discipline, and discipline is at the heart of successful wizardry. I shall try to better stay abreast of events in this log. 

   Our arrival back in Toulouse roused a sleeping Baron, it being well past dusk. He gratefully received our report though, as well as the letter we had found addressed to him. He read it with some concern and then sifted our story for details. It was clear that he was much troubled, and I daresay it was no help that Caribdis decided that it was an appropriate time to pump him for more money, reminding him incessantly of our deeds and the fact that the job had turned out to be far more difficult than the mere delivering of a letter. I was quite appalled, but he is young, and Baran took it in stride. I do hope that our impetuous bard will one day soon learn the fine art of subtlety.  

  Baron sent us to The Happy Merchant to enjoy an evening of refreshment and a clean bed, courtesy of Toulouse, promising to meet us there in the morning with our payment and more information. 

   Weather it was Caribdis' hinting, or Baron’s own sense of fairness I don't know, but the following day he brought to each of us a pouch heavy with 40 gold! Fifteen more than promised. We were all well pleased, and it certainly made us receptive to his offer of further aiding him. Sitting down to dine with us, he told us what he knew.  

  The abbot of the monastery, it seems, was a gruff piece of work by the name of Alluzin who had split away from some monks order or another because it wasn't strict enough for him. It seems that he had, before starting his own order, raised a sister whom Baron feels might have cause to resent him. She is a possible suspect as the culprit behind the monastery murders, especially considering Caribdis' tale of seeing visions of a woman. The motive may be a bit tenuous, but it is still there, so Baron felt it wise to at least tell us of her, and ask us to undertake a second mission on his behalf. 

  He wants us to travel to Ravens Hollow to see Yigil Sakeri, a wizard of some renown. I recall the name from The Old Man in the Pointy Hat, though not very many details. Baron assures me that my having apprenticed under The Old Man in the Pointy Hat will lend weight to our meeting, but I don't know. It's always been my experience that wizards consider apprentices to be slightly beneath privy cleaners on the importance scale. We shall see. 

  We have accepted the mission, though it pains me a bit. On the one hand, I desire travel the opportunity to see new things and face new challenges. But I worry that I may become too involved in the affairs of this kingdom and lose the freedom to follow my whims. Still, it's for a good cause, and I must admit to a certain curiosity as the mystery deepens. The culprit must be brought to justice, and to a certain extent, I think it only right that we be the ones to do so. 

   On a side note, I've finally finished research on those new spells. At last, I have Mage Armor and Sleep. While I find it difficult to make room for defensive spells, I feel sure that the time will soon come when they will come in handy. Already I can cast more spells than I could only a week ago. My learning has accelerated dramatically. The Old Man in the Pointy Hat was right! There is no class room like the real world! I find that I have very little time for study, but the research I am able to get in seems to correlate far more clearly with real world examples than they do in the lab. It's as if the danger has forced my mind to respond to it by swiftly grasping the nuances of my craft. The Old Man in the Pointy Hat said it would be so, and it is. 

 And while Shield and Mage Armor may go unused for a bit longer, I'm very excited at the prospect of Sleep. The Old Man in the Pointy Hat swears by this spell, still preferring to have one about him even at his power. I'm eager to try it out, my one reservation being its area of effect. I would hate to accidentally knock out one of my fellow party members due to poor calculations of distance. I shall try to be careful. 

   Note to self: See about buying some scrolls in Ravens Hollow. Now that I have some money it's time to supplement my own research with purchased spells, though I daresay I hardly have the funds to copy them into my book. That may soon change, however, as one of the spoils of our recent adventure turned out to be an amazing book that promises to reveal to me the secretes of scribing at half the page space and even less the cost! I have been pursuing it ravenously. This book could save me many thousands of gold in the long run, though it is a slow and painful read.

  Ptchwl 23 

  We are on the road to Ravens Hollow, a week away from Toulouse. Not all of us were so eager to lend our strength to Baron, but he hints that our solidarity may be our best source of income, an already formed and cohesive party being quite valuable. It remains to be seen, but in the meantime we have a weeks worth of travel to gel even more. It's a perfect opportunity to get to know one another better, though I'm afraid I may be losing out on this time due to my studies. I have so much to learn and read that it takes up most of my spare time. I hope my companions do not think me anti-social. My research really is necessary.  

 Happy has bought a donkey, which she has named, Don Kay, and her (the donkeys) back is broad enough for the both of us to ride. She wanted to purchase a small horse with my financial help, but I convinced her to save some gold and go with a pack animal. I'm a terrible rider, so it would be pointless for me to claim part ownership in a horse. I am far more comfortable astride the slow but sure Don Kay, where I am able to read and study along the road. 

 The rest of the party has also bought mounts, but none are worried that we're slowing them down. We are under no pressure, and were even able to spend a couple of days in Toulouse in preparation before hitting the trail. I was able to scribe a couple more scrolls (Sleep and Mage Armor), which is always helpful.

  Ptchwl 26 

  Once again I have felt the sting of an enemy’s weapon! This life of adventure is rife with reward, but the downside of its danger can be only too apparent sometimes. 

  It was an ambush. Riding through a dense forest, we rounded a bend and for some reason I looked up from my book. To my surprise I was able to spot several creatures hidden in the overgrowth that lined the road. Hobgoblins! Nasty beasts with foul tempers and wicked blades. As nonchalantly as I could, I slipped my book into my pack and muttered to the rest what I had seen. Taklinn had also spotted them, and he stiffened his axe at the ready. Caribdis twirled an arrow from its quiver and all hell broke loose. 

  The order of events is murky to me, but suffice to say, I was able to try out my new Sleep spell. Zeroing in on a hobgoblin, I uttered the incantation, and to my near surprise and great pleasure, he dropped into a deep slumber, effectively taking him out of the fight! 

  And then I got shot with a crossbow!  

   I leapt from Don Kay's back and scurried into the cover of the woods while Taklinn and Griffin charged forward to meet the threat head on. Taklinn seemed to take particular glee in the fight, and in no time at all he had split the skull of a hobgoblin. Griffin took on another, and traded blows back and forth with the beast, when all of the sudden Happy appeared behind the hapless hobgoblin and drove her dagger into his blind side. She left a grievous wound, and Griffin was easily able to finish him off. Caribdis continued to show his bow skills and dropped another hobgoblin with a volley of arrows. With four of them taken down so swiftly, the last two quickly fled into the forest.  

 We are now left with a prisoner, the hobgoblin that I put to sleep. We found sets of manacles on each of the hobgoblins, and first we thought they were slavers, but our prisoner scoffs at the idea. We now believe they were trying to specifically capture us. It appears that we have made an enemy! 

  We plan to turn the hobgoblin over to the local authorities in Ravens Hollow. I need to rest now. Taklinn was able to heal me fully, but I can still feel the ghost of the bolt in my shoulder, and it's been quite difficult to study this evening. I look forward to getting back on the road tomorrow.

  Ptchwl 28 

  At last, a spot of peace and quiet. It seems that these moments are coming few and far between lately.  

 I write this from the relative comfort and safety of the first floor of Yigil's tower. He has allowed us to stay the night, with promise of more information, and perhaps a job, in the morning. After the day we've had I'm sure we'll all be able to use the rest. Even Griffin seems more attracted to his bed than his bottle tonight, and Ambrose is already curled up asleep. I would join him, but the adventures of the day still run through my mind, and I'd best get them on paper while they are still fresh. 

   But to do that I must back up a bit. I have been unable to update my journal since our first run in with the hobgoblins on the road to Ravens Hollow, and much has happened since. I would be remiss if I didn't take up my tale where it left off. 

After defeating the ambushing hobgoblins, we took our prisoner and set out again, wanting to put as much distance between ourselves and the ambush site as possible. But we were unable to outrun the surviving hobgoblins, for that night, as we lay asleep, the two that had ran away embarked on a daring rescue mission that ended in disaster when they alerted Taklinn, who was on watch. And fortunate that he was, for he is the only one among us who can see in the dark! He was able to spot the marauders and set to work with his axe. His bellows roused us, but we could do little but stumble around in the night while Taklinn settled accounts with the hobgoblins by himself.  

  The failure of the rescue attempt seemed to be the last blow to the moral of our prisoner, for the next day when I questioned him; he seemed far more willing to deal. 

  It turned out that his ambushing group was about half of a band of scallywags hired specifically to capture us. After some coaxing, he decided to trade his comrade’s life for his own, and agreed to take us to his bands campsite in return for his freedom and a sword. He also said that whoever had hired them in the first place was a spell caster, but he did not know exactly where or who they were. We would have to settle with taking out the remaining hobgoblins and their two bugbear leaders. 

We followed the road to Ravens Hollow until we were mere miles from the town, then the hobgoblin led us into the forest to a small farmhouse not far away. There showed no signs of movement, but he assured us that they were there, and after some quick reconacense, he proved true. A hobgoblin was busy chasing chickens in the back yard. We led him several hundred yards into the forest, and freed him, and that’s the last we've seen of the traitorous fellow. I'd say it was a good trade though, for we were able to mount an assault that laid many more of his kind low that day. 

  Quickly formulating a plan, we crept around to the back of the farmhouse and drew back our missile weapons, hoping to take out the chicken chasing hobgoblin in a single, silent, volley of arrows, daggers and bolts. Griffin recently came across a crossbow that suited him, and he gave me his old one. I decided that this would be the perfect time to try it out. It was a shot of beauty! Most of us hit the hapless bad guy, but my bolt took him right through the eye. At the time I felt quite enamored of the weapon, and it would prove still more potent in the coming days.  

 The hobgoblin went down without a single grunt of alarm, and we crept forward, toward the rear of the house. I crept around the side of the house, hoping to get a peek in the window and get an idea of what we faced before going in, but Taklinn had other ideas. With a great dwarven war bellow, he kicked open the rear door and waded into the fray. Nearly half a dozen hobgoblins sprang to meet his challenge, grabbing up their weapons and quickly surrounding him. By this time I was peering through the window, so I did what I was able to and cast a Sleep spell. Unfortunately it was rather ineffective, and only one of the thugs went down. Still, it took a bit of pressure off of Taklinn, and by that time Griffin had followed him in and the two warriors set to work with sword and axe, cleaving a bloody swath through the room. 

 I had little time to appreciate the skill with which my two friends fight, however, for at that moment, around the front corner, came a massive hobgoblin, charging right for me! What could I do but flee? He chased me back to the rear of the house, into the goat pen. Fortunately Happy was back there as well, and she commenced to harrie the brute with well placed daggers. Still, she didn't drop him, and I ran out of the pen and back toward the house where Caribdis stood, firing arrows into the fray inside. And it was Caribdis who downed my hobgoblin pursuer when he chased me a bit too close to Caribdis for his liking. The young bard and Happy filled the bugger with enough steel to drop him, after which we turned our eyes to the inside combat. 

 Taklinn and Griffin had mopped up the hobgoblins downstairs, but the gang’s leaders had joined the battle now, charging down the stairs. One final hobgoblin and two bugbears. I have heard of bugbears, but in the flesh, they seem impossibly huge and strong. They swung their massive morningstars as if they were made of rotten wood, and a single hit from one would surely do me in. Taklinn and Griffin stood their ground, but it was a desperate fight. Things looked grim, but the turning point came when it seemed that Griffin had met his end. Overstepping through one of his sword thrusts, he was caught off balance, and the bugbear was able to grab him by the hair while the last hobgoblin flanked him from the opposite side. The hobgoblin tried to grab Griffin, as if to pin his arms, but our warrior was too slippery, and, with his hair still clenched in the bugbears fist, he whirled and struck, downing the hobgoblin, and then following through for a mighty backswing into the bugbear that took the beast to its knees! With a heavy thud, the bugbear slumped to the floor.  

  Caribdis was able to fire his arrows, but Happy and I could do little as we watched Taklinn and Griffin square off against the final bugbear. I toyed with the idea of trying another Sleep spell, but was stymied by it's area of effect. Happy would not throw for fear of hitting one of our comrades. The lessons learned in the zombie fight have stayed with us. 

As it turned out, our warriors were more than able to handle themselves, and with a mighty double team, the two struck high and low, axe and sword cleaving through muscle and bone. The bugbear went down with a defeated grunt, and the house was still. 

   Wounded, hurting and weary, we still had to secure the house. Griffin went upstairs, and to our horror, he discovered two young human girls, tied to the beds and obviously mistreated and ravaged. They were physically sound, but the hell they had gone through showed on their faces. Griffin wrapped them in blankets and Happy soothed them while Taklinn tended to their wounds. The girls were able to tell us that the farm had belonged to an elderly couple called the McDonalds. Hoping against hope that they might still be alive, we manacled the sleeping hobgoblin (and a still alive but unconscious bugbear) and forced him to tell take us to the McDonalds. We found them in a gully in the forest, heads bashed in and tossed aside like so much garbage. Our hobgoblin prisoner was made to carry their bodies back to the farm and dig proper graves for them. It was quite sad, even though I didn't know them personally. As Taklinn said a few words over their graves, I couldn't help but feel a sleight responsibility to these innocent farmers. 

 We toyed briefly with the idea of staying at the farm, hoping that whoever had hired these curs would come to visit, especially after Taklinn discovered a cage full of ravens, each with a tiny scroll tube tied to it's leg and a couple of pre-written scrolls obviously meant to be used as confirmation of the success or failer of the thugs mission. Taklinn set free the ravens, one of them with a note stating that the mission was accomplished, hoping to throw our enemy off the trail. In the end we decided to hurry on to Ravens Hollow, the quicker to reunite the two girls with their families and meet with Yigil.  

   We rounded up our gear, as well as the livestock from the farm, and headed out. As we entered the small town, the populace began to pour from the houses and shops as word spread of the girls rescue, and it was not long before their mothers arrived, crying and wailing with relief and thanks. It was the best I have felt for a very long time. Truly, such moments are the real reward for a life of adventure.  

  Soon after we met Adri Lawson, the sheriff in Ravens Hollow. Adri Lawson is an untrusting sort, and though he was grateful to us for bringing the girls back safely, he appeared guarded, especially after we told him we wanted to meet with Yigil. Yigil, it seems, is, like most wizards, looked upon with great suspicion and mistrust. Still, Lawson's hospitality was first rate, and we spent the night in Ravens Hollow as the towns honored guests, dining and dwelling for free.  

  Early the next morning we met again with Adri, and he gave us directions to Yigil’s tower. It was a days travel through rough woods, he said, and urged us to be careful, or better yet, to simply not go. But there was to be no turning back, and after a fine farmers breakfast and a visit to the armoror for some business for Taklinn and Griffin, we plunged into the forest. 

 The ride was pleasant, if a bit rough. Don Kay was sure footed and I was able to get in a bit of reading from his back before harsh reality interrupted my study once again.  

 We had ridden for roughly seven hours, when we began to spot movement in the woods. It was a warning, but not enough to keep us from another ambush, as suddenly the air was thick with javelins! The slender spears rained from the sky, one of them piercing my shoulder. It did little damage, but the pain was fierce. Casting about, it seemed that the woods had suddenly exploded with goblins! These smaller cousins of hobgoblins may be half the size of their brethren, but they are no less fierce, and their jibbering war whoops chilled my spine as I realized how many of them there must be. A quick scan showed at nearly two dozen lining the road, all of them well armed with wicked morning stars.  

  Our mounts panicked, and I quickly slid from Don Kays back, casting a spell even as I dropped to the ground. Centering it in the midst of a tightly packed group of goblins, I let fly with a Sleep spell, and it was a wonder! Half a dozen goblins fell to the ground, deep in slumber! It was a good hit and thinned their numbers, but they quickly fell upon us and chaos reined. Taklinn and Griffin found themselves surrounded by goblins while Happy, Caribdis and myself faced off with another six or seven of the little beasts. I tried to Grease the area beneath the goblins feet, but was hit for my efforts, and my spell fizzled. Wounded and dazed, I could do little but try and distance myself from the melee. Caribdis fired arrows from point blank range into a goblin while Happy throw daggers on the move, plunking one into the back of a goblin that threatened Taklinn. I believe she was hit, but she is made of stern stuff, and kept her feet. Griffin and Taklinn swung their weapons, keeping their enemies at bay and connecting a couple of times, but they were quickly being overwhelmed.  

 Finding myself clear of enemies for a brief second, I fired off a Color Spray at a tri of nearby goblins in an effort to help Caribdis, who is no melee fighter. Unfortunately only one of them was affected, but it helped a bit, and Caribdis was able to get off another bow shot. A goblin seemed to pick me out and ran at me, swinging his morningstar. The threat was immediate and deadly, but from the corner of my eye I could see that Griffin and Taklinn needed relief, so I took a chance. Reading a scroll while dodging the weapon of a crazed goblin is a very tough proposition, but I was able to get the spell off, and with it centered just so, the Sleep spell knocked out another three of the goblins that surrounded Taklinn and Griffin. This brought their numbers down to reasonable levels, and it was the work of a few seconds for Griff, Taklinn and Happy to dispatch the remaining few. Caribdis took care of the goblin that was attacking me with a well placed arrow. When I was at last able to look around without fear of being brained, the ground was littered with dead or unconscious goblins. All of us were wounded, but there was no time to rest. Despite reservations, we had to dispense some roadside justice to the surviving goblins. I'd have preferred taking them to the local law, but it simply wasn't an option. In the end, it was Taklinn who, with typical dwarven aplomb, "took care" of our prisoners. It left a bad taste in our mouths, but we had little choice. Caribdis especially, seemed affected by the harsh reality of what had to be done. Still, I would rather sleep uneasily than sleep forever.  

We moved on. Taklinn and even Caribdis had used most of their healing, and yet most of us were still wounded, which made the next encounter even more deadly. 

   It was an hour later and the woods grew thick around us. We felt that Yigil’s tower must now be very near, but getting there without further conflict would not be an option. We rounded a corner in the trail, and still more goblins blocked our path. Only two this time, but mounted on worgs, huge wolves, bristling with teeth and a malevolent intelligence that shown from their red eyes. Sensing our weakened state, they charged us, not bothering to listen to Happy's demands that they let us pass (very fortunate that she speaks the language). One of them barreled into Griffin while the second pair skirted us to attack our flank. It was a short and bloody fight, and Griffin and Caribdis took the worst of it. I was out of spells, and thus fell back to my new crossbow, putting it to good use. The worgs were some of the toughest creatures we've yet faced. Happy hit one of them with dagger after dagger, and it just wouldn't go down until the very end. I must say, that girl plays hell with those knives of hers. I've watched her study an opponent, look for his weak spot, and hurl her dagger with deft ease that does its damage via placement, not force.  

 When the dust had cleared, two goblins and two worgs lay dead. Griffin and Caribdis lay near death, bleeding and unconscious. Taklinn was able to staunch their wounds, but he was as bereft of magic as I, and in the end all we could do was put them on their mounts and hope that we'd soon find the tower. 

   The last half hour was the worst. Behind every shrub or tree stump we seemed to see goblins lurking. Our imaginations played nasty tricks with the wind and the shadows, and we knew only too well that we were in no shape to take on much more. But at last, the forest broke into a clearing, and there it sat, Yigil's squat tower, beckoning to us with mystery, and hopefully, refuge. 

   A smart rap on the door (or two), and a shouted explanation to the servants as to who we were and what business we had here, and finally the master of the tower dinged to greet us. Yigil is a musty old bugger, but one can expect little else of a wizard of any repute, and I get the definite feeling that Yigil is not one to be trifled with. He was curious about my relationship with the Old Man In The Pointy Hat, and I get the distinct impression that he doesn't care for him. I will let that be between them, however, as I have business to attend to. Once we'd given Yigil our letter of introduction, he mellowed a little (very little) and gave us some small aid in the form of potions to heal our felled comrades. It was a relief to see Griffin and Caribdis come around. Yigil offered us his limited hospitality (a bit of the floor on the first floor of his tower), and that is where we are even now. He tells us that we will know more in the morning, and that is good enough for me. I am bone tired, and my yawns are threatening to overwhelm me. The others are all well asleep. It is unlike me to burn so much midnight oil, but our adventures need to be recorded. Now that they have, I must bed down.  

 More will be written when there is more to tell...


----------



## xabth (Mar 4, 2004)

Rdyr't 3 

 Here we are, back in Ravens Hollow, with our feet firmly set on a new path of adventure.  

  Yigil has given us a bit of a test to prove our worthiness to accompany him to Havilah and to call ourselves a real crew, eligible to accept good coin in exchange for dangerous services rendered. You would think that ridding the monastery of zombies and battling dozens of goblinoids on the road would be enough, but apparently not. To win Yigil's favor, we must seek out and destroy a wyvern. 

 In my research while under the tutelage of The Old Man In The Pointy Hat I studied many types of monstrous creature, and I recall briefly skimming over wyverns. Fortunately Yigil is disinclined to send us on this hunt with such sparse knowledge of our quarry, and has given us much more information, as well as a scry of the beasts lair.  

  A wyvern is a cousin of the dragon, and while not nearly as fierce as one of those terrible beasts, it is still a spine shaking terror. It is a winged lizard, some twenty or thirty feet long, with six inch long fangs, clawed feet, and a tail stinger full of poison! Fighting man sized creatures is one thing, but this, this is another matter entirely.  

 According to Yigil, wyverns are fairly clumsy on the ground, unable to move much faster than a dwarf or a halfling. Their hide is thick and leathery, highly resistant to sword blows. Their teeth and claws are capable of terrible damage, but their favored tactic is to sweep up their hapless prey in their talons, fly them high into the air, and then drop them to their deaths. Yigil’s says that they hunt in the daylight and slumber through the night, their dark vision being non-existent, though they have keen ears and smell. This promises to be a dangerous undertaking, and we are here in Ravens Hollow in preparation for this hunt. Happy has come up with a clever idea that may well be the undoing of this beast.  

 Before we left his tower, Yigil brought us to his chambers and unveiled his scrying mirror. With it, he showed us exactly what the wyverns lair looks like. It is a cave, situated some forty feet up on the side of a sheer cliff face, though there is a substantial shelf of rock that forms a lip beneath it's entrance. Happy proposes that we construct a net that we can somehow drop over the wyvern, and has even found a craftsman in Ravens Hollow who is making it for us. It's a fine idea, but I daresay the logistics of getting the wyvern into the net would be well nigh impossible without the new spells I've learned. 

 The morning of the 1st day of Readyreat, I awoke and, as usual, went about my morning studies, and, as has often happened over these last days, finally came to an understanding of two brand new spells! Only these two deserve special mention, as they are both of the second circle of power, and are, arguably the best of that lot! Levitate and Invisibility. Two spells that no mage should be without. The words to the spells just fell into place for me on that morning, and I find my mental catalogue of spells expanded. I memorized one of each of them, but had no time to try them out until yesterday. The townsfolk in Ravens Hollow have been extraordinarily kind to us. They regard us as heroes for saving their children, and have treated us as such. We have a difficult time paying for anything, and truth be told, getting a bit of privacy has been difficult, given their adulation. Still, last night I was able to sneak out to the lot behind the inn and test out my new spells.  

  Casting levitate first, I felt little, until I mentally commanded myself to rise. And I did! My feet left the ground with a lurch, and I must admit to a few seconds of panic as I continued to lift into the air, seemingly leaving my stomach below! It is a heady feeling to watch the earth recede below you, defying gravity through nothing more than magic. The logical mind insists that it is impossible, and even though I flew once or twice under the influence of The Old Man In The Pointy Hat's spells, this was a much different experience. Without him there to oversee, to assure me of my safety, I had to will myself to remain calm and control the spell. Soon, I was able to do just that, and the feelings of fear turned to euphoria as I rose higher and higher, able to control my vertical motion with mere thought! Unlike the Fly spell (which is still beyond me), I cannot move side to side. But the feeling of flight is every bit as prevalent with Levitate, and every bit as exhilarating! Watching Ravens Hollow grow smaller and smaller below me... well, the feeling is hard to describe. I felt as though I'd truly crossed a threshold from apprentice to wizard. My stomach did flip flops for several minutes after I'd landed, and I found myself giggling long afterwards. It appears that flying simply makes one happy! One thing though, I must be careful. Currently I can only hold the spell for about a half hour, and it's vital that I keep that in mind. Should I allow the spell to dissipate before I alight, the results could, obviously, be disastrous. 

 I set down from my Levitate experiment quite some distance from where I'd started, as the wind shifted me a bit east. Still finding myself alone, I decided to try out Invisibility. Though not so dramatic as Levitate, watching my body fade from view was a curious sensation. Waving ones hand in front of ones face and seeing nothing but the ground beyond, is disconcerting until one grows used to it. It gives one a feeling of mischievousness, I must admit, and I can see how such a spell could be misused in the wrong hands. I even snuck up on Griffin as he drank in the tavern, and I do believe he was ready to draw his sword and swing wildly until I assured him that it was just me. I believe he was duly impressed, but a bit suspicious, nonetheless. 

 Not all research leads to victory though. I cannot crow over my spell casting exploits without confessing to a failure. While at Yigil’s, I purchased from him a scroll of that staple of every wizards library, Magic Missile. I studied the bloody thing all the way back to Ravens Hollow, and attempted to copy it to my book, and failed utterly! I am disgusted with myself that I appear unable to comprehend what should be so simple! How can I master Levitate when I can't even grasp Magic Missile? It is depressing, but I shant give up. Sooner or later I WILL cast that bloody spell! 

   At any rate, I was talking about the plan to incapacitate the wyvern via Happy's net. It turns out that my new spells will enable us to do so (we hope). I can cast Levitate onto the net itself and raise it into the air, the idea being to position it over the lair entrance like a spider web. I shall also turn the net invisible, and one of us will serve as bait, luring the wyvern straight into it. I've found that I can keep the nets position as I want it with an unseen servant.  

These past two days have been spent constructing the net while I write scrolls. Nearly half of my gold has gone towards a pair of Levitate scrolls. Expensive, but they will be vital, as I can only cast two second circle spells per day, and I figure I will need at least two Levitates (one to get us up to the cliff, and a second for the net), as well as an Invisibility.  

 We depart tomorrow for the wyverns lair, which is a days ride from here. We must pass the remnants of the goblin tribe that attacked us earlier to get there though, so we'll have to be on our guard.  

 It is late, and I must be to bed, but before I did I must mention the generosity of these fine folks of Ravens Hollow once again, for this evening they have showered us with gifts. Each of us have received a fine gift from a craftsman here. A kind, old, gnomish woman named Ebie has given me a fine wizards cloak, complete with pockets for components and Ambros! It is of beautiful design, and I wear it proudly. I only hope that we live long enough to enjoy our gifts.  

   Rdyr't 4  

  Another long day on the road, and another fight against goblins, though I daresay, either we are getting better at fighting, or the goblins are getting worse, because today saw us with fewer casualties than our last encounters with them.  

 Or mayhap it was because we were not ambushed this time. 

   We departed Ravens Hollow early this morning, thronged by townsfolk assembled to see us off. They know of our mission and, being their patron heroes, after a fashion, they wish us well and cheer for our victory.  

  Our path led us into the low foothills a days ride east of the town, and by late day we had begun to climb, riding our sturdy mounts up ever steepening switchbacks or leading them across shale covered slopes. And, around one particular bend, without warning, there appeared the whole of a goblin encampment, this one fairly permanent, there being several sturdy huts built onto the alcoves that pock marked the canyon in which it was situated.  

 Griffin, in the lead, hissed back a warning, and I decided that now was the time to test my new spells. 

   The Old Man In The Pointy Hat often said to me, "Doorag, in times of danger and combat, the learned must endeavor to become airborne as soon as possible, and remain unseen for as long as possible." Up until today I have been unable to heed this advise, but at Griff's warning, I remembered those words well. Casting quickly, I vanished from beneath the nose of a startled Happy, and then rose into the air to see what I could see. 

 The village spread out before me, and more than half a dozen goblins and several worgs went about their business there. We had yet to be spotted, and I pondered our strategy until Griffin made a command decision and stepped boldly forward, marching right into their midst! He even gave a startled goblin a jaunty salute as he passed like it was the most natural thing in the world. Knowing that these buggers would soon regain their composure, I cast quickly, sending a Sleep into a throng of them. Four, perhaps five, went down in peaceful slumber. And then hell broke loose. The remaining goblins came to their senses immediately and Griffin soon found himself surrounded. Happy had raced up behind him to lend support, and she danced her way between goblins to position her quick blades. Taklinn sauntered in, a grin beneath his beard with twin handfuls of axes. He was met with a goblin and a charging worg at once. Caribdis, unassailed, was able to do what he does best: Lend his support via word and arrow. His verse, while some might consider it doggerel, has the desired effect, and no one can deny that he can split a horse hair at fifty paces with his bow.  

 As for me, I could do little but follow Caribdis' example. I landed upon a good sniping position overlooking the camp and raised my crossbow. What a fine weapon it is! I would think that some of Griffin's fighting prowess has rubbed off on it, for my shots fell true. I was even able to dispatch the goblin that threatened Taklinn.  

  Unbeknownst to us, the goblins had among them a spell caster! The little bugger set to work Dazing Griff and Happy, and, with the help of an exceptionally large worg, attempted to do me in! The worg leapt nearly fifteen feet, nearly dragging me from my ledge, and the goblin cast at me. I was able to resist his efforts and rose to safety. Taklinn heard my shouts, and, as fast as thought, hurled his hand axe. Just like that, the goblin caster lay dead.  

  At the same time Griffin, Happy and Caribdis were downing the final few, and the huge worg lowered its head in supplication, surrendering to us. To my amazement, the beast actually spoke, as would a man, albeit haltingly. We sent the worg on his way. Finding nothing in the huts except several goblin infants, we roused the sleepers and told them to hit the road with their offspring. Road side justice or no, we had not the hearts nor stomachs to wipe them out after they'd been utterly beaten.  

   As the day wound down, we made our way through a canyon, and at last came to a sheer cliff. A step back and a telescoped peek later, and we were sure that we had found our wyvern lair. The creature wasn't there, so we decided to double back to a cave some forty-five minutes from the lair, that we might hide our mounts and gear up for the coming battle. And we are here now, about to bed down. At least three of us are. Taklinn and Griffin have gone back to keep watch over the lair, to try and get an idea of when the wyvern leaves to hunt. I worry for them, but of us all I suppose they are the most fit to spend the night so close to the wyvern. Still, the morning cannot come fast enough for me. 

   Rdyr't 5 

 Taklinn and Griffin have returned after an eventful morning! The wyvern flew from his cave at the crack of dawn, and unfortunately, spotted our companions. The huge beast landed quite near them, and the pair thought better of valor and ran like thunder! I do not blame them a bit, and thank all the gods that they had the good sense to flee. Alas, Taklinn is not built for speed, and the wyvern nearly caught up with him. Good thing for him that the wyvern is slow on the ground. As it was, they escaped through a narrow crevice. So narrow that Griff had to cut Taklinn free of his armor to get him through! The wyvern could not follow, and flew away for easier pray. Griff and Taklinn are back now, and we are whiling away the day, waiting for tomorrow morning, and another exit by the wyvern. Our plan is to be there at first light and net ourselves a flying lizard!  

 Caribdis is using this day to regale us with more of his rhymes and to practice the gift he received in Ravens Hollow: A mandolin. It's a beautiful instrument, and I hope one day that Caribdis will make beautiful music with it. But for now, it sounds like a a hundred mice in a tin drum. I haven’t the heart to ask him to stop, but its difficult to read and Ambros has threatened to sneak over and chew off his strings in the night. Ah well, the boy is an artist. I suppose I can comfort myself in the knowledge that I will one day be able to say that I traveled and fought alongside the famous Caribdis!  

 Ha! 

  Well, stranger things have happened.  

   Rdyr't 6 

  Victory is ours! We are back in Ravens Hollow this night, our quarry defeated and our prizes safely stowed away from delivery to Yigil.  

  Our plan went quite smoothly. In the early morning, an hour before dawn, we crept toward the wyverns lair, Taklinn leading us with his ability to see in the dark. Once at the base of the cliff, we set to work. I cast a levitate on myself and each of my comrades, in turn, grabbed hold of me and I flew them to the shelf of rock some forty feet upwards that lay beneath the cave entrance. Once we were all there, we quietly unfurled our net and spread it out. I quietly read off one of my levitate scrolls and cast on the net. It rose into the air, and I quickly followed it up with an Unseen Servant with which I was able to guide the net into position over the cave entrance. Once it was just so, I made it invisible and we were ready to go. From within the cave, we could hear the heavy breathing of a huge beast in slumber. It gave us all the chills, and more than one heart was in a throat, I can tell you! 

We moved into ambushing position and Taklinn took his place as bait. At the signal, he began to beat on his buckler with his axe, bellowing dwarven war chants and challenges to the wyvern. We heard the beast awake, and within only seconds, it took the bait!  

 Even safely floating out of the way, the sight of it charging from the cave into the dawns light was horrific and frightening! I feared that the net might not hold and tat Taklinn would be torn asunder or pushed from the cliff. But the net did hold, and the wyvern was brought up short, much to it's surprise and our relief. But even in the net it was still a danger, and it managed to bite Taklinn with fangs that we have now measured as some six inches in length. It also plunged it's stinger into Griffins chest, and we feared that the poison would be his doom. But Griffin is made of tougher stuff. Perhaps all the alcohol in his blood served to dilute the poison. Whatever the case, he survived. The same cannot be said of the wyvern, for we set to work with axe, sword, arrow and bolt, and within a few short seconds the beast lay dead.  

  And so we have taken our trophies and returned to Ravens Hollow where we now rest before going back to Yigil’s tower. I am quite excited at the prospect of returning to that mage victorious.  

 For now though, the events of the day have caught up with me and I must be to bed.

  Rdyr't 7 

  Another day on the road, though this one was particularly uncomfortable. I suppose I can't complain too much, my discomfort being my fault, after all. 

  Last night, after my journal entry, I decided to forgo my usual practice of study and bed for a bit of frivolity in the tap room with my companions. The excitement of the fight with the wyvern was still fresh with me, and I wished to share it with my friends, so I made my way to the bar, where Griff was already deep in his cups, and asked him if he might not order me something. 

 The rest of the night is a blur and this morning brought the unduly loud pounding on my door of Taklinn, who, not the least bit concerned with my aching head, bid me make ready for our journey to Yigil's tower.  

 It was not until much later in the day that I was able to eat anything, and even now my temples throb unceasingly. I was able to study my spells, but only through sheer determination and discipline. All I really wanted to do was stay in bed and nurse these terrible drums that pound behind my eyes. The day spent jouncing about in the back of our wagon did little to settle my rocking stomach, and I dare say I've never been so happy to finally reach a destination as I was today when Yigil's tower came into view at last.  

  Yes, I believe that I will leave the drink to Griffin from now on and content myself with returning his toasts with mugs of milk.  

 Fortunately we are not forced to do much more than rest through the night. Yigil is not here. His servant has bid us enter and take up residence on the first floor once again to await his return. Caribdis, curious as ever, keeps trying to convince us to let him wander into the upper levels. Taklinn has told him in no uncertain terms that this is not acceptable, and I have tried to gently assure him that one simply doesn't flail, pell mell, around in a wizards tower if one wants to keep ones head on ones shoulders. Caribdis sits now, aimlessly plinking away at his new mandolin, as he did throughout our day long journey. I must say, I admire his determination to learn this new instrument, but with my head being in the state its in, it was all I could do not to hit the lad with a sleep spell to shut him up.  

   Rdyr't 8 

 We awoke this morning to the sight of a newly returned Yigil, standing over us with a sort of malevolent benevolence, if that makes any sense. I suppose it's matter of always keeping arch mages at arms length and vise versa. I suppose one day I may find myself in such a position, though I hope not. As much as I admire the Old Man In The Pointy Hat, I feel a bit sorry for him and the manner in which he sequesters himself from the general populace.  

 But that is neither here nor there. The point is, Yigil had returned, and after a quick bite of breakfast (my appetite had returned with a vengeance!) and an hours wait for Yigil to freshen up, the six of us convened to turn over the spoils of our wyvern battle and to discuss our future.  

  Yigil had watched our battle via his scrying mirror, so we did not have to regale him with the tale, though I'm sure Caribdis was dyeing to do just that. He seemed well impressed with our team work, giving special accolades to Happy for her net idea. She blushed deeply, but I think she was well pleased with the notice. 

  Yigil has agreed to sponsor us as a crew if we go to Havilah and meet with one Nivin Mottul, the dean of recruiting at the Academy. Nivin is an acquaintance of Yigil's, perhaps even a friend, and he assures us that we will be treated well once we get there.  

  At last, we are going to the city! The capitol! I am beside myself. My feet have been itching to get at the Queens Road for weeks now. I've always dreamed of seeing the city of such legendary splendor, and it appears that that dream shall soon come true! 

 Yigil also tells us that he is almost sure that it was, indeed, Alluzen's sister who was behind the evil at the monastery. Her name is Melisandre, and Yigil tells us that she hated her brother. He thinks she hated him enough to murder him and his followers. It seems awfully extreme for a simple case of sibling rivalry, but Yigil believes that it may run deeper than that. Apparently, after leaving her brothers care, she spent some time in Ebarium, a city whose hedonistic and lawless tendencies are renown. Yigil says that the dark arts are practiced with impunity in Ebarium. Necromancers and demonologists ply their dark trade there, and he thinks that Melisandre may have fallen in with that lot. It would explain the undead that infested the monastery. 

  Be all that as it may, Yigil cannot scry Melisandre and he knows not where she is. For the time being, we shall have to let this mystery lie and get on with the job of becoming a real crew. 

 Bidding Yigil farewell, we hit the road, once again, back to Ravens Hollow, which is where I write this from. We have gathered our wagon full of captured treasures in hopes of selling them for a decent price once we get to Havilah, and plan to leave first thing in the morning. I am so excited that I don't think I'll be able to sleep! 

   Rdyr't 9 

 Looking back through the pages of this journal, I see that the majority of entries find us either on the road or fresh in from the road. This entry is no different, but I find it special anyway, since we are on the Queens Road, headed for Havilah!  

 We left Ravens Hollow this morning with bounce in our stride, and I think all of us sense that we have entered a new chapter in our lives. Before, it was if the fates had conspired to bring us together and throw us in the face of danger. But now, there is a feeling of purpose, of a goal. At the end of this road lies the capital city of Havilah, with it's Academy, and our future! 

 I must say, be it fate or the hands of the gods, or pure coincidence, I find myself glad to be in the company I now keep. Who could have known that a simple expedition for Baron could have turned five strangers into a group of fast friends? Our differences are many, but despite them, we seem to share a common thread of decency. Even Griffin, who adamantly claims to have no interest in anything beyond drink and coin, has a gleam in his eye, and I believe that he is as excited as the rest of us.  

  He is a strange one, our Griffin. On the outside he is all bluff and blather, and it would be easy to assume that he cares little for anything but strong drink, loose women, and cold coin. Unlike Taklinn, who will gladly fight for a principal, Griff oft times must be dragged into a battle if there is no reward immediately in sight. I believe he considers himself a true mercenary, without conscience or kingdom. But, I think he runs a little deeper than he lets on, and is of a far more complex nature than he would have us believe.  

  He is unlike the knights that I remember seeing riding through our woods on patrols. They were all gleaming plate mail and gaudy standards with plenty of pompous attitude. Griffin is none of that. His way is down and dirty, with little room for pomp, circumstance or chivalry. Yet, if one watches him closely, one can see chinks in his armor, and I think that he may be growing attached to some of us. He seems to have a particular soft spot for Happy. The two have become a team of sorts, or perhaps, partners in crime might be a better way to put it.  

 Personally, I think Griffin is a much deeper chap than he pretends to be. As much as he threatens to clobber Caribdis, I get the feeling that he likes the boy and would protect him, or any of us, should the need arise.  

  One other thing that belies Griff's heartless exterior is the fact that he is remarkably patient with those of us who are unfamiliar with the ways of battle. I still recall, with much chagrin, how Happy and I both accidentally stabbed him in the back while he was trying to fight a zombie at the monastery. We could have killed him! Yet he never said an unkind word toward us. I would think that most warriors would have had little patience with a couple of halflings brash enough to pitch daggers wildly into combat. I think that when we get to Havilah I will gather up Happy and see if she will accompany me on a shopping trip to purchase a gift for Griffin. A thank you, of sorts, for his forgiving attitude and willingness to put himself between us and harm.  

 Perhaps a nice flask... 

   Rdry't 11 

 The road still stretches out before us. The trip to Havilah would normally take a week for a mounted man, but we ride only as fast as Taklinn can walk. And while our dwarven friend is seemingly tireless, his legs are still only so long. He refuses to get onto a horse. Claims to have no truck at all with them. I can't say as I blame him. A full sized horse is a frightening beast to me, that much is sure. I like Don Kay, she is small enough so as to be manageable, but the horses are not my cup of tea. 

 Taklinn plods down the road, hour after hour, tireless. He is every bit the dwarf, even more so for his faith and devotion to Clangeden. He is fastidious in his appearance, and I think that he considers himself an ambassador for all dwarves. His beard is always groomed, and he spends much time with polishing his armor and axe. Even now, as I watch him walk on ahead of us, his grooming is perfect, and the dusty miles have done little to dishevel him.  

Oddly enough, I find that Taklinn may be the member of our little band with whom I have the most in common. The two of us are often times the moral voice within our group, and it is sometimes left to us to convince the others that a fight is worth the risk for the simple sake of quashing evil. Griffin is no coward, that much is sure, but sometimes, if there is no immediate reward apparent, he would rather circumvent a battle and allow baneful beasts to go on their way rather than to quell them in the interests of protecting the nameless innocent. Taklinn and I have had to play on his pride from time to time to convince him that a particular foe must be put down. 

  I have learned much from Taklinn over this past month about concepts like pride, honesty, trust, respect, and devotion to an ideal. While I have always been in favor of doing the right thing for its own sake, Taklinn serves a higher calling and his stalwart heart is a shining beacon for us all. I think he makes us all better. Without him, we would be just another band of roustabouts looking for trouble. Taklinn gives us purpose and direction. He is our conscience. Our heart. I don't know what we'd do without him. He is our standard bearer, is Taklinn, and a credit to his race.  

   My spell research continues. I've been working on Fox's Cunning and Mirror Image. While there are other spells that might be more offensive, I think a good defense will serve me better in the long run. Mirror Image will see to that. Fox's Cunning will make my spells harder to resist, and that is always good! I'm also deep in study of this blasted Magic Missile scroll! It still galls me that this wretched spell thwarted me!  

 I've also been working my way through the Arcamagus book. It is a grind of a read, no doubt, but the concepts are starting to take hold with me. If I can figure out the finer points of it, this book will save me a lot of coin.  

Speaking of coin, our wagon is filled nearly to overflowing with the spoils of our battles. Breast plates, swords, crossbows, javelins and shields clank about back here with me, not to mention the gems whose value we still don't know. A couple of the stones have been appraised by Caribdis and he swears that they are worth a kings ransom, but Happy disagrees with him. I'm a bit doubtful myself. We shall see what the merchants in Havilah have to say about them. 

   Rdry't 12 

  We stayed in a tiny village called Lamsted last night and witnessed the start of the Days of Dedication festivals, and that always marks the turning point of autumn. As if by clockwork, today feels colder, and it wouldn't surprise me to know that flurries of snow are already falling further north. Fortunately we still have the winter gear given to us by Baron, so I am able to bundle up a bit. Still, the chill wind whips at me and makes it that much more difficult to write as it threatens to tear the pages from my journal.  

 But there is little else to do on the road, and when my mind needs a rest from constant reading I find that the jotting of notes is soothing, even if I must fight the wind for the privilege.  

  I have been using my entries to sing the praises of each of my companions thus far, and as I watch Happy bounce along the trail, I am hard pressed not to include a few passages about her. 

  Happy is every bit the halfling, and every bit the greenie on top of that. While my own clan can frolic with the best of them, the greenies have raised it to a fine art, and they would be well pleased with their Happy. 

  Could there be a more suitable name for her? I doubt it, for I have yet to see her frown. She is utterly kind, ever optimistic, always ready with her infectious smile, and while she can be irreverent, she is also surprisingly thoughtful, and I get the idea that her outward frivolity camouflages her strategic mind. I could easily see her enemies underestimating her because of her size and good nature, but I've watched her fight, and can say with no irony that she is not to be trifled with.  

 Happy, like many of our kind, has the kind of grace that is usually reserved for elves. I envy her dexterity, for I could never pull off the kind of tricks that she makes look easy. She somersaults and flips like a born acrobat, and it is nothing for her to walk a rail as thin as my finger. I've watched her spin and dive between the legs of a foe to end up on their blind side in the blink of an eye, and once she has you at a disadvantage, you will no doubt feel the sting of her daggers, of which she seems to have a never ending supply. Watching her hurl her blades, it is as if time slows down for her, and she throws them with a careless ease that turns into deadly accuracy.  

 I like her very much indeed, and so do the rest of the crew. It is difficult to be down in the mouth with Happy around to lift your spirits. She and Griff are thick as thieves most of the time, and I dare say they probably share much of the same roguish philosophy.  

 And though I'd be willing to bet that Happy is not above helping herself to ill gotten gain, I can't help but trust her. Perhaps that is another example of her disarming personality. 

   I have only one other to write about, and that is Caribdis. But it is time to return to my reading. We still have much road to walk, so I shall get to him in due time. 

   Rdyr't 13 

 Apparently my thoughts on Caribdis will have to wait, for it turns out that danger follows us. 

   It was noon and the sun that shone on us did little to warm the crisp air. But, bundled in our good fur coats, it was easy to enjoy the ride and chat as the wind foretold of winters coming and brushed swirls of leaves across the road. We had just crested a small hill and begun the gentle decent into a valley. To our left we could see the Tein river as it snaked toward us from the west. This time of year the river is low, and what nearly intercepted the Queens Road was little more than a stream, easily wadable if one had to. We could see from our vantage point that it flowed lazily toward our road until, at the bottom of our hill, it changed course to run parallel to us, and we new that it would be our companion for the rest of our journey.  

Griffin smiled and gave a satisfied nod. "The Tein," he said, "We're half way there!" This immediately lightened our mood and put a bit of bounce into our steps, for we are all anxious to get to the city. Griffin is the only one among us who has actually been there before, and it's good to have him with us as a guide, or at least to tell keep us abreast of our progress. With renewed vigor, we headed into the valley. 

 Along the riverbank there grew thick strands of oak and elm, and were it not for the fact that autumn has stripped the trees of their leaves, we probably would not have spotted the hobgoblins. About half way down the hill I saw a flash of movement through the trees, as if someone wading along the river bed. Happy agreed that she too had seen something. "Taklinn," I said, in hushed tones, "Let me have the spy glass." He looked at me quizzically, but handed the ornate telescope over to me and with it I scanned the trees, searching for the flash of color I'd seen. 

 Yes, there it was. And again. Something... somebody... trodding through the Tein's low waters. And there, another. And yet another. It was difficult to see through the screen of branches, but what I did see gave me pause. Muscular limbs and iron weapons. I decided to get a better look.  

 "Something’s on the river," I told my companions. "Wait here, I'll be right back." Without waiting for an answer, I quickly cast my two (and only) most powerful spells, and within seconds I was invisible and rising high into the air, the feeling of leaving my stomach behind, still gripped me, but I concentrated on the work at hand. 

  I rose still higher, getting myself above the trees for an unobstructed view of the river, and there I saw them. A ragged column of figures marching with the river. Even from my distance I could tell that they weren’t men, for their gait gave them away as humanoids. Pressing the spyglass to my eye showed me the truth. Hobgoblins. A quick count showed sixteen of the buggers, and worse yet, trailing behind them were a pair of bugbears. Our raid on the farmhouse flashed through my mind as I quickly descended. The wind had blown me a bit off course, so I had to hurry to catch my friends, who started a bit when my voice came from no where, explaining what I'd seen. 

  At my report, the shift in Taklinn’s stance and the knit in his brow gave away his intentions even before he said, "Hobbers n' bugbears! Lets be at 'em then!" He shifted his axe and touched his holy symbol as I have seen him do before battle, and it was obvious what his plan was. But Griffin was not so sure. 

  "They haven’t seen us yet," he said, coolly, "I say we let them pass. We're outnumbered and we've nothing to gain by taking them on." His steely eyes showed his resolve on the issue, but in this case I had to agree with Taklinn. 

 "Griff," I implored, "What if they're a raiding party, come to wreak havoc on innocents down river? Remember the farm house? Those were hobgoblins and bugbears there too, and they murdered an old man and his wife, and ravaged two young girls! If this new group does something similar without our trying to stop it, it'll be on our heads! Also, don't you find it a bit coincidental? Another group of hobgoblins, prodded along by two bugbears? Something is afoot here, and it could relate to us somehow. Besides all that, your right. They haven’t seen us. If we hurry we can beat them to that grove of elms at the bottom of the hill and set up an ambush. That should even the odds a bit." I strode purposely over to stand beside Taklinn to show my solidarity with him, though I'm afraid the effect was largely lost due to no one being able to see me. 

  Griffin scowled and opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it. Happy and Caribdis looked from him to a very grim Taklinn. This was not the first time they'd had to listen to Taklinn and I convince Griffin that a fight needed to be fought, and though Caribdis, especially, wore a worried look, I felt confident that he possessed the sand to do what needed to be done. Finally, Griffin sighed and loosened his sword in it's scabbard. "All right then, lets be about it." he said, though obviously against his better judgment. He spun on his heel and started off down the hill.  

 We hurriedly hitched our mounts to a nearby bush and hurried to catch Griff, the five of us trotting at a quick pace in an effort to reach what appeared to be a fine ambush spot. Thus far it appeared that the hobbers hadn't spotted us, and we needed that element of surprise. I used my levitate to cross long stretches of ground by running and pushing off, allowing myself to glide down the hill effortlessly. Once at the bottom, we quickly surveyed the thick strand of elms that lined the river bank. Having little time to discuss our strategy we quickly hid ourselves. I rose up into the branches of a thick old tree and positioned myself on a hardy limb in such a way as to have a fine view of the river while still affording myself the cover of the trunk, which I knew I would need once my invisibility was dispelled by offensive spells. Caribdis did the same, climbing a tree near my own and balancing precariously, his trusty bow at the ready. Taklinn hunkered down amongst the thick weeds that grew alongside the river, while Griffin and Happy quickly waded across the river and positioned themselves behind a deadfall there.  

 We did not have long to wait. Within minutes the first of the hobgoblins rounded the bend, splashing through the waters, their weapons at the ready. As more of them appeared, they choked the stream with their hulking forms, and I realized that there certainly were a lot of them! The two bugbears that followed did little to bolster my confidence when they appeared, but it was too late to turn back now. Looking down from my branch, I could see Taklinn, coiled like a spring, ready to pounce, and I knew that he was going to have at these villains weather there be 16 or one hundred and sixteen.  

   It was not until the first line of hobgoblins were directly beneath me, and not more than a few feet from Taklinn’s hiding spot, that I realized that we'd not made any plan as to who would initiate our ambush or when! For a moment I wondered if we might not all sit there frozen, waiting for another of us to make the first move until our quarry had passed us by. I needn't have fretted though, for Taklinn was not about to lose his opportunity, and with a mighty roar, he sprang from the tall grass, hurling himself at the front line of hobgoblins, his axe a blur in the cold sunlight.  

  From that point on things moved very quickly. No sooner had Taklinn made his attack than the rest of us were in motion. From his position on the opposite side of the river Griffin leapt into the fray, laying about with his sword in the very midst of the surprised hobgoblins. From the deadfall I saw a brief flash as Happy hurled a dagger that downed a hobber, and I hastily cast as, from the corner of my eye, I saw an ashen faced Caribdis begin to let fly with arrow after arrow.  

  The river began to boil with blood as Taklinn and Griffin set to work, and within seconds at least three of the hobgoblins lay face down in the water, and still others were pierced with dagger and arrow. For myself, I could do little but try to thin their ranks with Color Sprays and Sleeps. Unfortunately, those hobgoblins that went under due to Sleep fell into the water where they quickly revived, though it did keep them from combat for precious seconds and kept our warriors from being overwhelmed through sheer numbers. As it was, Griffin was surrounded and his blood mingled with that of his enemy as it flowed from several wounds. Even the stalwart Taklinn was feeling the bite of hobgoblin blades as they pressed in around him.  

 From his perch to my right, Caribdis chanted his verse and loosed arrows as fast as he could draw his arm back. I had already exhausted my most powerful spells and shifted to my trusty crossbow, leveling it at a hobgoblin who had spotted Happy and was now hacking away at her while she bobbed and weaved away from his blade, desperately trying to get a hit in of her own. My bolt took the hobber between the shoulder blades, and down he went. She flashed me a grateful grin and went back to doing what she does best, chucking daggers into soft spots. 

 Nearly a dozen hobgoblins lay dead in the crimson waters, but the bugbears had advanced by now upon our very wounded warriors. I saw one of them draw back his morningstar to take a swing at Griffin. I quickly cast the last of my first circle spells, Grease, upon the handle of his weapon, and as he drew back, it slid from his grasp and into the murky river. I prayed that it would buy Griffin the time he needed to dispatch the last of his hobbers that he might concentrate on the bear.  

 Shifting my attention to Taklinn, he was in much the same fix, badly hurt and still outnumbered with a bugbear looming over him. I was down to cantrips, but I had to try. Rattling off the brief incantation, I cast Daze at the bear, and to my happy surprise, the brute fell under it's effect, standing there stupidly, trying to get it's bearings and leaving Taklinn free to dispatch another hobgoblin. I hastily followed the first Daze with another, the last of my offensive spells, and it too worked, keeping the bugbear off balance. It bought Taklinn just enough time.  

Hobgoblins dropped like ripe wheat under our steel and soon there were none left but the bugbears. With one of them unarmed and the other dazed, it was quick work to put them down. Griffin and Taklinn spun wildly, caught up in battle lust, scanning for more enemies. But there were no more. The Tein ran thick with blood and we were victorious. 

  But our victory came at a price, for both Taklinn and Griff were badly wounded. It was all Griff could do to make it to the riverbank where he leaned upon his sword, panting heavily and bleeding from a dozen wounds. Taklinn hauled himself from the river and saw to his companion, treating Griff's wounds first as Caribdis and I came down from our branches and Happy joined us. Long moments passed as we caught our breaths, but at last, after Taklinn had brought himself and Griff a few steps away from deaths door, we looked about at the carnage and could do little but laugh weakly at each other, such was the relief of having survived such a battle.  

 In short order we set about the business of searching the dead and retrieving our mounts. Unfortunately there were no survivors whom we could question, but we felt confident that we had saved blissfully unaware innocents from murder and mayhem by stopping this band from getting to where ever they'd been headed.  

 Within an hour we were back on the road, leaving the row of dead humanoids behind us on the riverbank, food for scavengers now. 

  We rest tonight in a tiny hamlet, the name of which I do not even know. The inn here has only one common room with hard cots, but to me, it is a night in paradise, as I am bone tired from the exhilaration of battle, and weary of the road. I shall sleep hard tonight.


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## DMO (Mar 5, 2004)

Hi xabth,

Double spacing your line breaks will really improve the readability of your character journal. You're not likely to attract folks to your story hour simply by keeping the formatting clean (sadly), but you sure can scare them away by failing to.

I'll try to swing back over and offer some content-oriented feedback if you get a chance to add in some white space (or black space, as the case may be).

Best!

Matt


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## xabth (Mar 15, 2004)

***Sigh, true that! I wish you could indent on this message board! Argh! you are correct though, and to that end I'll endever to space it out. Thanks for the comment.***


  Rdyr't 3 
   Here we are, back in Ravens Hollow, with our feet firmly set on a new path of adventure.  

 Yigil has given us a bit of a test to prove our worthiness to accompany him to Havilah and to call ourselves a real crew, eligible to accept good coin in exchange for dangerous services rendered. You would think that ridding the monastery of zombies and battling dozens of goblinoids on the road would be enough, but apparently not. To win Yigil's favor, we must seek out and destroy a wyvern. 

  In my research while under the tutelage of The Old Man In The Pointy Hat I studied many types of monstrous creature, and I recall briefly skimming over wyverns. Fortunately Yigil is disinclined to send us on this hunt with such sparse knowledge of our quarry, and has given us much more information, as well as a scry of the beasts lair.  

 A wyvern is a cousin of the dragon, and while not nearly as fierce as one of those terrible beasts, it is still a spine shaking terror. It is a winged lizard, some twenty or thirty feet long, with six inch long fangs, clawed feet, and a tail stinger full of poison! Fighting man sized creatures is one thing, but this, this is another matter entirely.  

 According to Yigil, wyverns are fairly clumsy on the ground, unable to move much faster than a dwarf or a halfling. Their hide is thick and leathery, highly resistant to sword blows. Their teeth and claws are capable of terrible damage, but their favored tactic is to sweep up their hapless prey in their talons, fly them high into the air, and then drop them to their deaths. Yigil’s says that they hunt in the daylight and slumber through the night, their dark vision being non-existent, though they have keen ears and smell. This promises to be a dangerous undertaking, and we are here in Ravens Hollow in preparation for this hunt. Happy has come up with a clever idea that may well be the undoing of this beast.  

  Before we left his tower, Yigil brought us to his chambers and unveiled his scrying mirror. With it, he showed us exactly what the wyverns lair looks like. It is a cave, situated some forty feet up on the side of a sheer cliff face, though there is a substantial shelf of rock that forms a lip beneath it's entrance. Happy proposes that we construct a net that we can somehow drop over the wyvern, and has even found a craftsman in Ravens Hollow who is making it for us. It's a fine idea, but I daresay the logistics of getting the wyvern into the net would be well nigh impossible without the new spells I've learned. 

  The morning of the 1st day of Readyreat, I awoke and, as usual, went about my morning studies, and, as has often happened over these last days, finally came to an understanding of two brand new spells! Only these two deserve special mention, as they are both of the second circle of power, and are, arguably the best of that lot! Levitate and Invisibility. Two spells that no mage should be without. The words to the spells just fell into place for me on that morning, and I find my mental catalogue of spells expanded. I memorized one of each of them, but had no time to try them out until yesterday. The townsfolk in Ravens Hollow have been extraordinarily kind to us. They regard us as heroes for saving their children, and have treated us as such. We have a difficult time paying for anything, and truth be told, getting a bit of privacy has been difficult, given their adulation. Still, last night I was able to sneak out to the lot behind the inn and test out my new spells.  

 Casting levitate first, I felt little, until I mentally commanded myself to rise. And I did! My feet left the ground with a lurch, and I must admit to a few seconds of panic as I continued to lift into the air, seemingly leaving my stomach below! It is a heady feeling to watch the earth recede below you, defying gravity through nothing more than magic. The logical mind insists that it is impossible, and even though I flew once or twice under the influence of The Old Man In The Pointy Hat's spells, this was a much different experience. Without him there to oversee, to assure me of my safety, I had to will myself to remain calm and control the spell. Soon, I was able to do just that, and the feelings of fear turned to euphoria as I rose higher and higher, able to control my vertical motion with mere thought! Unlike the Fly spell (which is still beyond me), I cannot move side to side. But the feeling of flight is every bit as prevalent with Levitate, and every bit as exhilarating! Watching Ravens Hollow grow smaller and smaller below me... well, the feeling is hard to describe. I felt as though I'd truly crossed a threshold from apprentice to wizard. My stomach did flip flops for several minutes after I'd landed, and I found myself giggling long afterwards. It appears that flying simply makes one happy! One thing though, I must be careful. Currently I can only hold the spell for about a half hour, and it's vital that I keep that in mind. Should I allow the spell to dissipate before I alight, the results could, obviously, be disastrous. 

   I set down from my Levitate experiment quite some distance from where I'd started, as the wind shifted me a bit east. Still finding myself alone, I decided to try out Invisibility. Though not so dramatic as Levitate, watching my body fade from view was a curious sensation. Waving ones hand in front of ones face and seeing nothing but the ground beyond, is disconcerting until one grows used to it. It gives one a feeling of mischievousness, I must admit, and I can see how such a spell could be misused in the wrong hands. I even snuck up on Griffin as he drank in the tavern, and I do believe he was ready to draw his sword and swing wildly until I assured him that it was just me. I believe he was duly impressed, but a bit suspicious, nonetheless. 

Not all research leads to victory though. I cannot crow over my spell casting exploits without confessing to a failure. While at Yigil’s, I purchased from him a scroll of that staple of every wizards library, Magic Missile. I studied the bloody thing all the way back to Ravens Hollow, and attempted to copy it to my book, and failed utterly! I am disgusted with myself that I appear unable to comprehend what should be so simple! How can I master Levitate when I can't even grasp Magic Missile? It is depressing, but I shant give up. Sooner or later I WILL cast that bloody spell! 

   At any rate, I was talking about the plan to incapacitate the wyvern via Happy's net. It turns out that my new spells will enable us to do so (we hope). I can cast Levitate onto the net itself and raise it into the air, the idea being to position it over the lair entrance like a spider web. I shall also turn the net invisible, and one of us will serve as bait, luring the wyvern straight into it. I've found that I can keep the nets position as I want it with an unseen servant.  

 These past two days have been spent constructing the net while I write scrolls. Nearly half of my gold has gone towards a pair of Levitate scrolls. Expensive, but they will be vital, as I can only cast two second circle spells per day, and I figure I will need at least two Levitates (one to get us up to the cliff, and a second for the net), as well as an Invisibility.  

 We depart tomorrow for the wyverns lair, which is a days ride from here. We must pass the remnants of the goblin tribe that attacked us earlier to get there though, so we'll have to be on our guard.  

  It is late, and I must be to bed, but before I did I must mention the generosity of these fine folks of Ravens Hollow once again, for this evening they have showered us with gifts. Each of us have received a fine gift from a craftsman here. A kind, old, gnomish woman named Ebie has given me a fine wizards cloak, complete with pockets for components and Ambros! It is of beautiful design, and I wear it proudly. I only hope that we live long enough to enjoy our gifts.  

   Rdyr't 4  

  Another long day on the road, and another fight against goblins, though I daresay, either we are getting better at fighting, or the goblins are getting worse, because today saw us with fewer casualties than our last encounters with them.  

  Or mayhap it was because we were not ambushed this time. 

   We departed Ravens Hollow early this morning, thronged by townsfolk assembled to see us off. They know of our mission and, being their patron heroes, after a fashion, they wish us well and cheer for our victory.  

  Our path led us into the low foothills a days ride east of the town, and by late day we had begun to climb, riding our sturdy mounts up ever steepening switchbacks or leading them across shale covered slopes. And, around one particular bend, without warning, there appeared the whole of a goblin encampment, this one fairly permanent, there being several sturdy huts built onto the alcoves that pock marked the canyon in which it was situated.  

  Griffin, in the lead, hissed back a warning, and I decided that now was the time to test my new spells. 

  The Old Man In The Pointy Hat often said to me, "Doorag, in times of danger and combat, the learned must endeavor to become airborne as soon as possible, and remain unseen for as long as possible." Up until today I have been unable to heed this advise, but at Griff's warning, I remembered those words well. Casting quickly, I vanished from beneath the nose of a startled Happy, and then rose into the air to see what I could see. 

 The village spread out before me, and more than half a dozen goblins and several worgs went about their business there. We had yet to be spotted, and I pondered our strategy until Griffin made a command decision and stepped boldly forward, marching right into their midst! He even gave a startled goblin a jaunty salute as he passed like it was the most natural thing in the world. Knowing that these buggers would soon regain their composure, I cast quickly, sending a Sleep into a throng of them. Four, perhaps five, went down in peaceful slumber. And then hell broke loose. The remaining goblins came to their senses immediately and Griffin soon found himself surrounded. Happy had raced up behind him to lend support, and she danced her way between goblins to position her quick blades. Taklinn sauntered in, a grin beneath his beard with twin handfuls of axes. He was met with a goblin and a charging worg at once. Caribdis, unassailed, was able to do what he does best: Lend his support via word and arrow. His verse, while some might consider it doggerel, has the desired effect, and no one can deny that he can split a horse hair at fifty paces with his bow.  

 As for me, I could do little but follow Caribdis' example. I landed upon a good sniping position overlooking the camp and raised my crossbow. What a fine weapon it is! I would think that some of Griffin's fighting prowess has rubbed off on it, for my shots fell true. I was even able to dispatch the goblin that threatened Taklinn.  

 Unbeknownst to us, the goblins had among them a spell caster! The little bugger set to work Dazing Griff and Happy, and, with the help of an exceptionally large worg, attempted to do me in! The worg leapt nearly fifteen feet, nearly dragging me from my ledge, and the goblin cast at me. I was able to resist his efforts and rose to safety. Taklinn heard my shouts, and, as fast as thought, hurled his hand axe. Just like that, the goblin caster lay dead.  

 At the same time Griffin, Happy and Caribdis were downing the final few, and the huge worg lowered its head in supplication, surrendering to us. To my amazement, the beast actually spoke, as would a man, albeit haltingly. We sent the worg on his way. Finding nothing in the huts except several goblin infants, we roused the sleepers and told them to hit the road with their offspring. Road side justice or no, we had not the hearts nor stomachs to wipe them out after they'd been utterly beaten.  

   As the day wound down, we made our way through a canyon, and at last came to a sheer cliff. A step back and a telescoped peek later, and we were sure that we had found our wyvern lair. The creature wasn't there, so we decided to double back to a cave some forty-five minutes from the lair, that we might hide our mounts and gear up for the coming battle. And we are here now, about to bed down. At least three of us are. Taklinn and Griffin have gone back to keep watch over the lair, to try and get an idea of when the wyvern leaves to hunt. I worry for them, but of us all I suppose they are the most fit to spend the night so close to the wyvern. Still, the morning cannot come fast enough for me. 

   Rdyr't 5 

  Taklinn and Griffin have returned after an eventful morning! The wyvern flew from his cave at the crack of dawn, and unfortunately, spotted our companions. The huge beast landed quite near them, and the pair thought better of valor and ran like thunder! I do not blame them a bit, and thank all the gods that they had the good sense to flee. Alas, Taklinn is not built for speed, and the wyvern nearly caught up with him. Good thing for him that the wyvern is slow on the ground. As it was, they escaped through a narrow crevice. So narrow that Griff had to cut Taklinn free of his armor to get him through! The wyvern could not follow, and flew away for easier pray. Griff and Taklinn are back now, and we are whiling away the day, waiting for tomorrow morning, and another exit by the wyvern. Our plan is to be there at first light and net ourselves a flying lizard!  

 Caribdis is using this day to regale us with more of his rhymes and to practice the gift he received in Ravens Hollow: A mandolin. It's a beautiful instrument, and I hope one day that Caribdis will make beautiful music with it. But for now, it sounds like a a hundred mice in a tin drum. I haven’t the heart to ask him to stop, but its difficult to read and Ambros has threatened to sneak over and chew off his strings in the night. Ah well, the boy is an artist. I suppose I can comfort myself in the knowledge that I will one day be able to say that I traveled and fought alongside the famous Caribdis!  

  Ha! 

 Well, stranger things have happened.  

   Rdyr't 6 
   Victory is ours! We are back in Ravens Hollow this night, our quarry defeated and our prizes safely stowed away from delivery to Yigil.  

  Our plan went quite smoothly. In the early morning, an hour before dawn, we crept toward the wyverns lair, Taklinn leading us with his ability to see in the dark. Once at the base of the cliff, we set to work. I cast a levitate on myself and each of my comrades, in turn, grabbed hold of me and I flew them to the shelf of rock some forty feet upwards that lay beneath the cave entrance. Once we were all there, we quietly unfurled our net and spread it out. I quietly read off one of my levitate scrolls and cast on the net. It rose into the air, and I quickly followed it up with an Unseen Servant with which I was able to guide the net into position over the cave entrance. Once it was just so, I made it invisible and we were ready to go. From within the cave, we could hear the heavy breathing of a huge beast in slumber. It gave us all the chills, and more than one heart was in a throat, I can tell you! 

 We moved into ambushing position and Taklinn took his place as bait. At the signal, he began to beat on his buckler with his axe, bellowing dwarven war chants and challenges to the wyvern. We heard the beast awake, and within only seconds, it took the bait!  

  Even safely floating out of the way, the sight of it charging from the cave into the dawns light was horrific and frightening! I feared that the net might not hold and tat Taklinn would be torn asunder or pushed from the cliff. But the net did hold, and the wyvern was brought up short, much to it's surprise and our relief. But even in the net it was still a danger, and it managed to bite Taklinn with fangs that we have now measured as some six inches in length. It also plunged it's stinger into Griffins chest, and we feared that the poison would be his doom. But Griffin is made of tougher stuff. Perhaps all the alcohol in his blood served to dilute the poison. Whatever the case, he survived. The same cannot be said of the wyvern, for we set to work with axe, sword, arrow and bolt, and within a few short seconds the beast lay dead.  

 And so we have taken our trophies and returned to Ravens Hollow where we now rest before going back to Yigil’s tower. I am quite excited at the prospect of returning to that mage victorious.  

  For now though, the events of the day have caught up with me and I must be to bed.

  Rdyr't 7 
   Another day on the road, though this one was particularly uncomfortable. I suppose I can't complain too much, my discomfort being my fault, after all. 

  Last night, after my journal entry, I decided to forgo my usual practice of study and bed for a bit of frivolity in the tap room with my companions. The excitement of the fight with the wyvern was still fresh with me, and I wished to share it with my friends, so I made my way to the bar, where Griff was already deep in his cups, and asked him if he might not order me something. 

  The rest of the night is a blur and this morning brought the unduly loud pounding on my door of Taklinn, who, not the least bit concerned with my aching head, bid me make ready for our journey to Yigil's tower.  

 It was not until much later in the day that I was able to eat anything, and even now my temples throb unceasingly. I was able to study my spells, but only through sheer determination and discipline. All I really wanted to do was stay in bed and nurse these terrible drums that pound behind my eyes. The day spent jouncing about in the back of our wagon did little to settle my rocking stomach, and I dare say I've never been so happy to finally reach a destination as I was today when Yigil's tower came into view at last.  

  Yes, I believe that I will leave the drink to Griffin from now on and content myself with returning his toasts with mugs of milk.  

  Fortunately we are not forced to do much more than rest through the night. Yigil is not here. His servant has bid us enter and take up residence on the first floor once again to await his return. Caribdis, curious as ever, keeps trying to convince us to let him wander into the upper levels. Taklinn has told him in no uncertain terms that this is not acceptable, and I have tried to gently assure him that one simply doesn't flail, pell mell, around in a wizards tower if one wants to keep ones head on ones shoulders. Caribdis sits now, aimlessly plinking away at his new mandolin, as he did throughout our day long journey. I must say, I admire his determination to learn this new instrument, but with my head being in the state its in, it was all I could do not to hit the lad with a sleep spell to shut him up.  

   Rdyr't 8 

 We awoke this morning to the sight of a newly returned Yigil, standing over us with a sort of malevolent benevolence, if that makes any sense. I suppose it's matter of always keeping arch mages at arms length and vise versa. I suppose one day I may find myself in such a position, though I hope not. As much as I admire the Old Man In The Pointy Hat, I feel a bit sorry for him and the manner in which he sequesters himself from the general populace.  

 But that is neither here nor there. The point is, Yigil had returned, and after a quick bite of breakfast (my appetite had returned with a vengeance!) and an hours wait for Yigil to freshen up, the six of us convened to turn over the spoils of our wyvern battle and to discuss our future.  

  Yigil had watched our battle via his scrying mirror, so we did not have to regale him with the tale, though I'm sure Caribdis was dyeing to do just that. He seemed well impressed with our team work, giving special accolades to Happy for her net idea. She blushed deeply, but I think she was well pleased with the notice. 

   Yigil has agreed to sponsor us as a crew if we go to Havilah and meet with one Nivin Mottul, the dean of recruiting at the Academy. Nivin is an acquaintance of Yigil's, perhaps even a friend, and he assures us that we will be treated well once we get there.  

 At last, we are going to the city! The capitol! I am beside myself. My feet have been itching to get at the Queens Road for weeks now. I've always dreamed of seeing the city of such legendary splendor, and it appears that that dream shall soon come true! 

  Yigil also tells us that he is almost sure that it was, indeed, Alluzen's sister who was behind the evil at the monastery. Her name is Melisandre, and Yigil tells us that she hated her brother. He thinks she hated him enough to murder him and his followers. It seems awfully extreme for a simple case of sibling rivalry, but Yigil believes that it may run deeper than that. Apparently, after leaving her brothers care, she spent some time in Ebarium, a city whose hedonistic and lawless tendencies are renown. Yigil says that the dark arts are practiced with impunity in Ebarium. Necromancers and demonologists ply their dark trade there, and he thinks that Melisandre may have fallen in with that lot. It would explain the undead that infested the monastery. 

  Be all that as it may, Yigil cannot scry Melisandre and he knows not where she is. For the time being, we shall have to let this mystery lie and get on with the job of becoming a real crew. 

 Bidding Yigil farewell, we hit the road, once again, back to Ravens Hollow, which is where I write this from. We have gathered our wagon full of captured treasures in hopes of selling them for a decent price once we get to Havilah, and plan to leave first thing in the morning. I am so excited that I don't think I'll be able to sleep! 

   Rdyr't 9 

 Looking back through the pages of this journal, I see that the majority of entries find us either on the road or fresh in from the road. This entry is no different, but I find it special anyway, since we are on the Queens Road, headed for Havilah!  

   We left Ravens Hollow this morning with bounce in our stride, and I think all of us sense that we have entered a new chapter in our lives. Before, it was if the fates had conspired to bring us together and throw us in the face of danger. But now, there is a feeling of purpose, of a goal. At the end of this road lies the capital city of Havilah, with it's Academy, and our future! 

 I must say, be it fate or the hands of the gods, or pure coincidence, I find myself glad to be in the company I now keep. Who could have known that a simple expedition for Baron could have turned five strangers into a group of fast friends? Our differences are many, but despite them, we seem to share a common thread of decency. Even Griffin, who adamantly claims to have no interest in anything beyond drink and coin, has a gleam in his eye, and I believe that he is as excited as the rest of us.  

  He is a strange one, our Griffin. On the outside he is all bluff and blather, and it would be easy to assume that he cares little for anything but strong drink, loose women, and cold coin. Unlike Taklinn, who will gladly fight for a principal, Griff oft times must be dragged into a battle if there is no reward immediately in sight. I believe he considers himself a true mercenary, without conscience or kingdom. But, I think he runs a little deeper than he lets on, and is of a far more complex nature than he would have us believe.  

  He is unlike the knights that I remember seeing riding through our woods on patrols. They were all gleaming plate mail and gaudy standards with plenty of pompous attitude. Griffin is none of that. His way is down and dirty, with little room for pomp, circumstance or chivalry. Yet, if one watches him closely, one can see chinks in his armor, and I think that he may be growing attached to some of us. He seems to have a particular soft spot for Happy. The two have become a team of sorts, or perhaps, partners in crime might be a better way to put it.  

 Personally, I think Griffin is a much deeper chap than he pretends to be. As much as he threatens to clobber Caribdis, I get the feeling that he likes the boy and would protect him, or any of us, should the need arise.  

 One other thing that belies Griff's heartless exterior is the fact that he is remarkably patient with those of us who are unfamiliar with the ways of battle. I still recall, with much chagrin, how Happy and I both accidentally stabbed him in the back while he was trying to fight a zombie at the monastery. We could have killed him! Yet he never said an unkind word toward us. I would think that most warriors would have had little patience with a couple of halflings brash enough to pitch daggers wildly into combat. I think that when we get to Havilah I will gather up Happy and see if she will accompany me on a shopping trip to purchase a gift for Griffin. A thank you, of sorts, for his forgiving attitude and willingness to put himself between us and harm.  

 Perhaps a nice flask... 

   Rdry't 11 

  The road still stretches out before us. The trip to Havilah would normally take a week for a mounted man, but we ride only as fast as Taklinn can walk. And while our dwarven friend is seemingly tireless, his legs are still only so long. He refuses to get onto a horse. Claims to have no truck at all with them. I can't say as I blame him. A full sized horse is a frightening beast to me, that much is sure. I like Don Kay, she is small enough so as to be manageable, but the horses are not my cup of tea. 

  Taklinn plods down the road, hour after hour, tireless. He is every bit the dwarf, even more so for his faith and devotion to Clangeden. He is fastidious in his appearance, and I think that he considers himself an ambassador for all dwarves. His beard is always groomed, and he spends much time with polishing his armor and axe. Even now, as I watch him walk on ahead of us, his grooming is perfect, and the dusty miles have done little to dishevel him.  

  Oddly enough, I find that Taklinn may be the member of our little band with whom I have the most in common. The two of us are often times the moral voice within our group, and it is sometimes left to us to convince the others that a fight is worth the risk for the simple sake of quashing evil. Griffin is no coward, that much is sure, but sometimes, if there is no immediate reward apparent, he would rather circumvent a battle and allow baneful beasts to go on their way rather than to quell them in the interests of protecting the nameless innocent. Taklinn and I have had to play on his pride from time to time to convince him that a particular foe must be put down. 

 I have learned much from Taklinn over this past month about concepts like pride, honesty, trust, respect, and devotion to an ideal. While I have always been in favor of doing the right thing for its own sake, Taklinn serves a higher calling and his stalwart heart is a shining beacon for us all. I think he makes us all better. Without him, we would be just another band of roustabouts looking for trouble. Taklinn gives us purpose and direction. He is our conscience. Our heart. I don't know what we'd do without him. He is our standard bearer, is Taklinn, and a credit to his race.  

   My spell research continues. I've been working on Fox's Cunning and Mirror Image. While there are other spells that might be more offensive, I think a good defense will serve me better in the long run. Mirror Image will see to that. Fox's Cunning will make my spells harder to resist, and that is always good! I'm also deep in study of this blasted Magic Missile scroll! It still galls me that this wretched spell thwarted me!  

 I've also been working my way through the Arcamagus book. It is a grind of a read, no doubt, but the concepts are starting to take hold with me. If I can figure out the finer points of it, this book will save me a lot of coin.  

  Speaking of coin, our wagon is filled nearly to overflowing with the spoils of our battles. Breast plates, swords, crossbows, javelins and shields clank about back here with me, not to mention the gems whose value we still don't know. A couple of the stones have been appraised by Caribdis and he swears that they are worth a kings ransom, but Happy disagrees with him. I'm a bit doubtful myself. We shall see what the merchants in Havilah have to say about them.


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## xabth (Mar 15, 2004)

Rdry't 12 

We stayed in a tiny village called Lamsted last night and witnessed the start of the Days of Dedication festivals, and that always marks the turning point of autumn. As if by clockwork, today feels colder, and it wouldn't surprise me to know that flurries of snow are already falling further north. Fortunately we still have the winter gear given to us by Baron, so I am able to bundle up a bit. Still, the chill wind whips at me and makes it that much more difficult to write as it threatens to tear the pages from my journal.  

  But there is little else to do on the road, and when my mind needs a rest from constant reading I find that the jotting of notes is soothing, even if I must fight the wind for the privilege.  

 I have been using my entries to sing the praises of each of my companions thus far, and as I watch Happy bounce along the trail, I am hard pressed not to include a few passages about her. 

  Happy is every bit the halfling, and every bit the greenie on top of that. While my own clan can frolic with the best of them, the greenies have raised it to a fine art, and they would be well pleased with their Happy. 

  Could there be a more suitable name for her? I doubt it, for I have yet to see her frown. She is utterly kind, ever optimistic, always ready with her infectious smile, and while she can be irreverent, she is also surprisingly thoughtful, and I get the idea that her outward frivolity camouflages her strategic mind. I could easily see her enemies underestimating her because of her size and good nature, but I've watched her fight, and can say with no irony that she is not to be trifled with.  

   Happy, like many of our kind, has the kind of grace that is usually reserved for elves. I envy her dexterity, for I could never pull off the kind of tricks that she makes look easy. She somersaults and flips like a born acrobat, and it is nothing for her to walk a rail as thin as my finger. I've watched her spin and dive between the legs of a foe to end up on their blind side in the blink of an eye, and once she has you at a disadvantage, you will no doubt feel the sting of her daggers, of which she seems to have a never ending supply. Watching her hurl her blades, it is as if time slows down for her, and she throws them with a careless ease that turns into deadly accuracy.  

  I like her very much indeed, and so do the rest of the crew. It is difficult to be down in the mouth with Happy around to lift your spirits. She and Griff are thick as thieves most of the time, and I dare say they probably share much of the same roguish philosophy.  

  And though I'd be willing to bet that Happy is not above helping herself to ill gotten gain, I can't help but trust her. Perhaps that is another example of her disarming personality. 

   I have only one other to write about, and that is Caribdis. But it is time to return to my reading. We still have much road to walk, so I shall get to him in due time. 

   Rdyr't 13 
   Apparently my thoughts on Caribdis will have to wait, for it turns out that danger follows us. 

   It was noon and the sun that shone on us did little to warm the crisp air. But, bundled in our good fur coats, it was easy to enjoy the ride and chat as the wind foretold of winters coming and brushed swirls of leaves across the road. We had just crested a small hill and begun the gentle decent into a valley. To our left we could see the Tein river as it snaked toward us from the west. This time of year the river is low, and what nearly intercepted the Queens Road was little more than a stream, easily wadable if one had to. We could see from our vantage point that it flowed lazily toward our road until, at the bottom of our hill, it changed course to run parallel to us, and we new that it would be our companion for the rest of our journey.  

 Griffin smiled and gave a satisfied nod. "The Tein," he said, "We're half way there!" This immediately lightened our mood and put a bit of bounce into our steps, for we are all anxious to get to the city. Griffin is the only one among us who has actually been there before, and it's good to have him with us as a guide, or at least to tell keep us abreast of our progress. With renewed vigor, we headed into the valley. 

 Along the riverbank there grew thick strands of oak and elm, and were it not for the fact that autumn has stripped the trees of their leaves, we probably would not have spotted the hobgoblins. About half way down the hill I saw a flash of movement through the trees, as if someone wading along the river bed. Happy agreed that she too had seen something. "Taklinn," I said, in hushed tones, "Let me have the spy glass." He looked at me quizzically, but handed the ornate telescope over to me and with it I scanned the trees, searching for the flash of color I'd seen. 

 Yes, there it was. And again. Something... somebody... trodding through the Tein's low waters. And there, another. And yet another. It was difficult to see through the screen of branches, but what I did see gave me pause. Muscular limbs and iron weapons. I decided to get a better look.  

 "Something’s on the river," I told my companions. "Wait here, I'll be right back." Without waiting for an answer, I quickly cast my two (and only) most powerful spells, and within seconds I was invisible and rising high into the air, the feeling of leaving my stomach behind, still gripped me, but I concentrated on the work at hand. 

   I rose still higher, getting myself above the trees for an unobstructed view of the river, and there I saw them. A ragged column of figures marching with the river. Even from my distance I could tell that they weren’t men, for their gait gave them away as humanoids. Pressing the spyglass to my eye showed me the truth. Hobgoblins. A quick count showed sixteen of the buggers, and worse yet, trailing behind them were a pair of bugbears. Our raid on the farmhouse flashed through my mind as I quickly descended. The wind had blown me a bit off course, so I had to hurry to catch my friends, who started a bit when my voice came from no where, explaining what I'd seen. 

 At my report, the shift in Taklinn’s stance and the knit in his brow gave away his intentions even before he said, "Hobbers n' bugbears! Lets be at 'em then!" He shifted his axe and touched his holy symbol as I have seen him do before battle, and it was obvious what his plan was. But Griffin was not so sure. 

 "They haven’t seen us yet," he said, coolly, "I say we let them pass. We're outnumbered and we've nothing to gain by taking them on." His steely eyes showed his resolve on the issue, but in this case I had to agree with Taklinn. 

   "Griff," I implored, "What if they're a raiding party, come to wreak havoc on innocents down river? Remember the farm house? Those were hobgoblins and bugbears there too, and they murdered an old man and his wife, and ravaged two young girls! If this new group does something similar without our trying to stop it, it'll be on our heads! Also, don't you find it a bit coincidental? Another group of hobgoblins, prodded along by two bugbears? Something is afoot here, and it could relate to us somehow. Besides all that, your right. They haven’t seen us. If we hurry we can beat them to that grove of elms at the bottom of the hill and set up an ambush. That should even the odds a bit." I strode purposely over to stand beside Taklinn to show my solidarity with him, though I'm afraid the effect was largely lost due to no one being able to see me. 

  Griffin scowled and opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it. Happy and Caribdis looked from him to a very grim Taklinn. This was not the first time they'd had to listen to Taklinn and I convince Griffin that a fight needed to be fought, and though Caribdis, especially, wore a worried look, I felt confident that he possessed the sand to do what needed to be done. Finally, Griffin sighed and loosened his sword in it's scabbard. "All right then, lets be about it." he said, though obviously against his better judgment. He spun on his heel and started off down the hill.  

 We hurriedly hitched our mounts to a nearby bush and hurried to catch Griff, the five of us trotting at a quick pace in an effort to reach what appeared to be a fine ambush spot. Thus far it appeared that the hobbers hadn't spotted us, and we needed that element of surprise. I used my levitate to cross long stretches of ground by running and pushing off, allowing myself to glide down the hill effortlessly. Once at the bottom, we quickly surveyed the thick strand of elms that lined the river bank. Having little time to discuss our strategy we quickly hid ourselves. I rose up into the branches of a thick old tree and positioned myself on a hardy limb in such a way as to have a fine view of the river while still affording myself the cover of the trunk, which I knew I would need once my invisibility was dispelled by offensive spells. Caribdis did the same, climbing a tree near my own and balancing precariously, his trusty bow at the ready. Taklinn hunkered down amongst the thick weeds that grew alongside the river, while Griffin and Happy quickly waded across the river and positioned themselves behind a deadfall there.  

 We did not have long to wait. Within minutes the first of the hobgoblins rounded the bend, splashing through the waters, their weapons at the ready. As more of them appeared, they choked the stream with their hulking forms, and I realized that there certainly were a lot of them! The two bugbears that followed did little to bolster my confidence when they appeared, but it was too late to turn back now. Looking down from my branch, I could see Taklinn, coiled like a spring, ready to pounce, and I knew that he was going to have at these villains weather there be 16 or one hundred and sixteen.  

  It was not until the first line of hobgoblins were directly beneath me, and not more than a few feet from Taklinn’s hiding spot, that I realized that we'd not made any plan as to who would initiate our ambush or when! For a moment I wondered if we might not all sit there frozen, waiting for another of us to make the first move until our quarry had passed us by. I needn't have fretted though, for Taklinn was not about to lose his opportunity, and with a mighty roar, he sprang from the tall grass, hurling himself at the front line of hobgoblins, his axe a blur in the cold sunlight.  

  From that point on things moved very quickly. No sooner had Taklinn made his attack than the rest of us were in motion. From his position on the opposite side of the river Griffin leapt into the fray, laying about with his sword in the very midst of the surprised hobgoblins. From the deadfall I saw a brief flash as Happy hurled a dagger that downed a hobber, and I hastily cast as, from the corner of my eye, I saw an ashen faced Caribdis begin to let fly with arrow after arrow.  

 The river began to boil with blood as Taklinn and Griffin set to work, and within seconds at least three of the hobgoblins lay face down in the water, and still others were pierced with dagger and arrow. For myself, I could do little but try to thin their ranks with Color Sprays and Sleeps. Unfortunately, those hobgoblins that went under due to Sleep fell into the water where they quickly revived, though it did keep them from combat for precious seconds and kept our warriors from being overwhelmed through sheer numbers. As it was, Griffin was surrounded and his blood mingled with that of his enemy as it flowed from several wounds. Even the stalwart Taklinn was feeling the bite of hobgoblin blades as they pressed in around him.  

 From his perch to my right, Caribdis chanted his verse and loosed arrows as fast as he could draw his arm back. I had already exhausted my most powerful spells and shifted to my trusty crossbow, leveling it at a hobgoblin who had spotted Happy and was now hacking away at her while she bobbed and weaved away from his blade, desperately trying to get a hit in of her own. My bolt took the hobber between the shoulder blades, and down he went. She flashed me a grateful grin and went back to doing what she does best, chucking daggers into soft spots. 

 Nearly a dozen hobgoblins lay dead in the crimson waters, but the bugbears had advanced by now upon our very wounded warriors. I saw one of them draw back his morningstar to take a swing at Griffin. I quickly cast the last of my first circle spells, Grease, upon the handle of his weapon, and as he drew back, it slid from his grasp and into the murky river. I prayed that it would buy Griffin the time he needed to dispatch the last of his hobbers that he might concentrate on the bear.  

  Shifting my attention to Taklinn, he was in much the same fix, badly hurt and still outnumbered with a bugbear looming over him. I was down to cantrips, but I had to try. Rattling off the brief incantation, I cast Daze at the bear, and to my happy surprise, the brute fell under it's effect, standing there stupidly, trying to get it's bearings and leaving Taklinn free to dispatch another hobgoblin. I hastily followed the first Daze with another, the last of my offensive spells, and it too worked, keeping the bugbear off balance. It bought Taklinn just enough time.  

 Hobgoblins dropped like ripe wheat under our steel and soon there were none left but the bugbears. With one of them unarmed and the other dazed, it was quick work to put them down. Griffin and Taklinn spun wildly, caught up in battle lust, scanning for more enemies. But there were no more. The Tein ran thick with blood and we were victorious. 

  But our victory came at a price, for both Taklinn and Griff were badly wounded. It was all Griff could do to make it to the riverbank where he leaned upon his sword, panting heavily and bleeding from a dozen wounds. Taklinn hauled himself from the river and saw to his companion, treating Griff's wounds first as Caribdis and I came down from our branches and Happy joined us. Long moments passed as we caught our breaths, but at last, after Taklinn had brought himself and Griff a few steps away from deaths door, we looked about at the carnage and could do little but laugh weakly at each other, such was the relief of having survived such a battle.  

 In short order we set about the business of searching the dead and retrieving our mounts. Unfortunately there were no survivors whom we could question, but we felt confident that we had saved blissfully unaware innocents from murder and mayhem by stopping this band from getting to where ever they'd been headed.  

 Within an hour we were back on the road, leaving the row of dead humanoids behind us on the riverbank, food for scavengers now. 

  We rest tonight in a tiny hamlet, the name of which I do not even know. The inn here has only one common room with hard cots, but to me, it is a night in paradise, as I am bone tired from the exhilaration of battle, and weary of the road. I shall sleep hard tonight.  

      Rdyr't 16 

  We are all a bit quieter today. The fight with the hobgoblins, Taklinn's dream, coupled with our find today leaves us all wondering how the fates conspire to move us to their whims.  

 It was getting on toward late noon, and we'd decided to take a short break to water our mounts and stretch our legs. I did just that, pacing a length of riverbank while watching Happy give a lesson in stone skipping. I swear, the girl can make a flat rock positively dance across the surface of the river for a mile! 

 At any rate, Ambros crawled from his nest in my belt pouch and dropped to the ground, scurrying off into the grass, presumably to answer the call of nature. I thought little about it until he returned some moments later, dragging behind him the sorry looking corpse of a raven. My favorite rat told me that he'd found it a few yards down river, obviously washed up on shore. What made it a worthwhile find was the tiny tube attached to its leg and the peculiar dart that still protruded from the birds body. Freeing the dart, I could still detect a thin sheen of black ichors the consistency of tar clinging to it's needle like tip. A strange weapon, and not one that I've ever seen before. Too small and flimsy to be thrown, it must be a blow gun dart of some kind. 

  Within the tube, a message that deepens the mystery that seems to follow us. 

   "Bugbears, goblins, hobgoblins. Bands 20-100. Unknown goals." 

   This simple, yet telling, message was signed simply, "- Janek". 

   Who this Janek fellow is we do not know, but it is fairly obvious now that the lands of Havilah are experiencing an encroachment of goblinoids in large, well disciplined bands. We have already encountered two such groups. Who knows how many more lurk within our borders? 

   Rdry't 17 

  Yet another night spent in the relative comfort of a tiny village on the road to Havilah city, though Griffin tells us, and it is easy to see, that we are getting close now. This little village (Duloch, I believe it is called) is a bit larger, more densely populated, and I sense an air of sophistication here that, while practically smothered in rustic hominess and uneducated boorishness, was not even evident in any of the other villages we have passed through. Indeed, they are even willing to watch Caribdis ply his trade in the tap room and listen with something almost like quiet as he recites his verse. They show him a certain respect, as if they appreciate art, or at least wish to appreciate it.  

   Which brings me nicely to the subject of Caribdis. I have promised to tell more of him, and now, as I sit here in the tap room and watch him trying to hold his audience while I scribble my notes at an unobtrusive table, it feels like the right time to be about it. 

  He is just a boy, a fact that we often times forget, and a fact that we are just as often reminded of at the most inopportune of times. He is... awkward. Caribdis is at that most wonderful and terrible of points in the life of every man, the point of becoming a man. He is still as gangly as a new deer, and he seems to have little control over his own limbs unless he is actually giving thought to what he's doing.  

  He is possessed of the artists heart, and he desires nothing more than to entertain. He fancies himself a great orator, yet he possesses all the tact of an ogre with a tooth ache. He can be counted upon to say exactly the wrong thing at the wrong time, and more than once have I wished my legs were long enough to give him a swift kick under the table.  

  He is every bit the young, human, male. Curious to a fault, friendly, loyal, lumbering, and true. He has yet to find his step, as my Uncle Window would say, but I think it will be most interesting and rewarding when he does. 

  At heart, Caribdis is an entertainer. A bard. An actor. A would be musician He has a gift for lyrical poetry, a knack for crafting rhyme out of a current scene, and with it he can even perform some small feats of magic. His healing verse can produce effects that rival Taklinn's, and I've seen the odd arcane bit here and there. He is, of course, a spontaneous caster, lacking the discipline of true arcane book work, but how can I fault a natural gift?  

  In combat he is surprisingly effective. His bow has made the difference in several fights, and his battle rhymes have an effect on his allies that rival any spell I can cast, for his words become a background noise that spurs us on, assuring us of our victory and aiding us in battle. Griffin's sword swings truer, Taklinn's axe cleaves deeper, and so on, even though his voice often grows shaky in the face of hand to hand combat.  

   Sometimes Caribdis feels like the fifth wheel. He is the youngest, and therefore ends up in the role of the younger sibling. Griffin sighs heavily and tolerates him, Happy is amused by him, Taklinn fathers him, and I, well, I try to see what he will be like in a couple of years. For while the four of us roll our eyes at his lengthy and poorly told sagas, or reprimand him for being too open to strangers, I think we all see a vast potential in him, and, like older siblings, we have developed a certain protective attitude towards him.  

 At least I have.  

 I was not joking when I said that, one day, I will be able to tell people that I traveled alongside that most famous of bards, Caribdis.


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