# Posy is back!  Posy's Diary, New and Improved with poll(tm)!  Please vote!



## Oghma (Jan 21, 2002)

_Dear Diary, 

Today I met some adventurers that I think I’ll wind up traveling with.  They were all passing through my village this week, some just traveling, some looking for work, and we wound up talking outside of Old Filber’s place.  Let me tell you how it happened.

I was walking back from the village where I’d been to study more spell targeting stuff with that weird human wizard, Felster.  He’s lived in our gnomish village for about a million years, and everyone knows him.  Since, as you, my Diary, know that every since my great-great-grandma Bonicka fell in love with one of those sprites or pixies or whatever, my family have had a strain of magic running through them quite different than the typical gnomic illusions. I needed training for my magic, as the power of the fey breeds true through our bloodline.  I’d been tossing around “magic missiles” all day long, and I was QUITE tired from all that, when I saw two dwarves leaning over the fence at Old Filber’s farm, watching the cows, I guess, which is a bit strange for dwarves to be doing.  Not that I know anything about dwarvish habits, mind you, I’m just saying what I saw.  

Anyway, they were just leaning over the fence, and let me tell you, these two were all muscle-y! One looked kind of wild, with a big sword strapped to his back, and the other had this holy symbol of two crossed axes, and an axe at his belt, and his shield had two crossed axes like he was some sort of religious freak or something.  I walked past em and they gave me a good look, up and down, y’know, like they were looking at something special (Yea, that’d be ME).

SO, I gave em the stare back.  The wild one looked at me unmoving, like he’d look at me all day, and the other one looked away and said something to the other.  SO I walked over to em and said, “Don’t you two have anything better to do than look at pretty gnome girls walking by?”

From the bushes on the other side I heard, “Can there be anything better to do?” and this halfling came out, holding one of Old Filber’s chickens.

Now, you and I know that Old Filber is as blind as a bat and couldn’t count his chickens whether they were hatched or not, but I gave em a look and said, “If Old Filber caught you with that chicken, he’s roast you for sure!”

They didn’t seem too impressed.  The wild one, with the muscles, just sat there and looked at me.  The halfling just winked at me, and said “Well, if Old Filber catches us, we’ll have to deal with him then, won’t we?”

They called my bluff, so I sort of backed down.  I asked them, “What are you guys doing around here anyway?”

They told me that they had all left their homes to find adventure, and that so far they hadn’t had much luck.

Then I popped out with, “Well, that’s because you need some gnomish luck!”

To make a long story short, I had to show ‘em some stuff before they’d take me in, but I really impressed ‘em with my magic.  Adventure, here I come!

Dear Diary,

I’m a little bothered today.  My parents sure didn’t make much of a fuss when I told them I was leaving.  I also didn’t know that gnome families had “adventure sacks” prepared for when their kids went adventuring.  I’d told them about the other adventurers, and they seemed really pleased even relieved!  No head shaking or hand wringing at all!  Just, “Here’s your bag, and good luck!”  Weird.

Dear Diary,

Oof.  One long day of walking.  After walking with these guys a while, I can tell you about them.  Maybe more than you want to know.

Gimil, the Dwarf.  He’s the wild one.  He doesn’t talk much, and seems kind of dangerous, like he’s always on the alert or something.  He carries a big sword, and he’s really tall for a dwarf.  He thinks humans are disgusting.

Ratlin, the Halfling.  He talks a lot, and seems like he won’t stop moving.  He runs ahead and scouts then runs back at tells us he hasn’t seen anything.  Then he runs back out to scout.  He’s pretty quiet when he runs, but that doesn’t make up for his running at the mouth.

Ord, the Priest.  He’s the other dwarf.  He’s says he’s a priest of Clangeddin, the God of War, but I still think he’s a little out there.  I mean, he’s a priest and all, but can you just shut UP about the glories of Clangeddin for a little while?  He’s nice otherwise.  He and Gimil talk together a lot in Dwarvish, which Ratler can’t understand.  I let on that I can’t understand them either, but I about lost it when they started comparing me to dwarf women.  I mean, boobs the size of my head are eye-catching for men, but I think I’d rather have my gnomish “equipment”.

Dear Diary,

Another day of walking.  Where is all this adventure I’m supposed to be finding?  So far, it’s contending with dwarf gas and halfling chatter.  No one told me adventuring would be so windy!

Dear Diary,

I’m really sad.  We had some adventure, but we didn’t rescue the good guys.

We were coming up to a hill and we heard shouts and laughter in Goblinish.  Ratler (Or Rat, as we now all call him), ran up to the crest of the hill and saw about 8 goblins torturing two human men near a wrecked wagon.  Gimil rushed up to attack the goblins, racing past both Ord and Rat.  I trotted down and tried to put the goblins doing the torturing into a magical slumber, but before I got there a goblin threw a spear into them and we had no chance to save them!  That made me mad, so I threw spells right and left while Gimil and Ord slashed and chopped.  I know that Gimil’s sword seems bigger than he is, but he whips it around like it’s a dagger!  Whoosh! Slice!

Rat and I ran around afterward, dispatching the goblins I had slept.  I hated them for killing those men.  My father had fought goblins in the defense of our village, and there is nothing worse than goblins near a village.  They never fight out fair, and always bother a town until some one takes care of em.

There was a wagon full of goods left, and Gimil saw tracks that led off into the hills with what was probably another wagon.  All told, the goblins had killed 4 humans.  They also got us angry.  Tomorrow morning, we’ll show em!

Dear Diary,

We found the goblin cave about mid-morning.  There were two sentries outside, but Rat and Gimil shot em with Crossbows, and down they went.  The next two came out and I put em to sleep, so we could sneak in.  We found 6 more total, going cave to cave.  They were no match for Ord’s axe and Gimil’s sword.

We gathered up what loot we could and went back to where the wagon was left by the dead humans.  We hitched the dwarves to the wagon, though after about three “Giddyup”s from me, Gimil turned back and gave me a look that changed my mind about the whole humor of the thing.  For a while, at least.  “Whoa, dwarf!” Hahaha!  I wouldn’t want him to look at me like that again…

I’m getting used to the dwarves.  Their humor is a bit crude, but they are stout warriors, and treat me like on of them, which I thought was pretty impossible.  I mean, dwarves, by the beard of Glittergold!  Who’d have thought them to be friendly?  I guess they are impressed with my magical powers.

We camped about a half day’s travel from a small village.  Tomorrow we’ll go in and see about who these humans were, give em a decent burial or something, and maybe sell some of this goblin equipment.  The dwarves are complaining about lack of ale, so I guess we’d better take care of them before they turn ugly.  Ok, uglier. Hahaha!_


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## Oghma (Jan 21, 2002)

_Dear Diary,

I think I’m starting to agree with Gimil.  Humans are STUPID.

While the dwarves were heaving and straining  (I don’ t think anyone would hire them as mules) and I was steering the cart, Ratlin was taking an inventory of the wagon.  In it, he found:
		Small chest – 5 gold, 16 silver, 31 copper.  Big deal!
		Three crates – linens, small chairs and tables, candles, string
		3 boxes – children’s stuff, toys (a top!), clothes, 
		1 box – torn parchment, old maps, a journal of Erich of Haldefast (!), damaged books
		Goblin stuff 12 sets studded leather, 12 half spears, 6 short bows, 100 arrows
12 gold, 20 silver, 157 copper, 3 gems, worth 25,25, 50 gold, and a potion of cure light wounds (written in common on the label)

No wonder the goblins were angry.  The wagon they hijacked looked to be a household full of stuff.  Some poor family was moving from one town to another, and now they’ll never see their new home, or see it furnished.  The goblins were richer than the humans!

The journal contained partial spells, a few recipes and some rather nicely drawn sketches. The sketches included a landscape of two large hills and a twisted oak tree labeled "The Hills, Looking Toward Home" a small signpost near the tree is labeled Kharne’s Inn 2 Mi. with an arrow pointing off to the left. 

I’d heard of Erich.  I knew he was an evil necromancer type who had charged “tolls” for people crossing “his” roads.  The King’s men had foiled one of his ambushes and killed him, but his stronghold was never found.

It’s a good thing the dwarves didn’t need to be steered, because I read through that journal and the sketches all the way into town.  I read the bits and pieces and from the drawings, I thought I had figured out how to find at least where that sign was.

The group has decided to let me keep track of finances.  I’m good with math, really.  Better than Ratlin, that’s for sure.

We got into Kharne’s Inn, a small village, at about 2pm.  The mayor was this guy named Jacob Kharne, and he was such a LUMP.

The first thing I did was to use some of the goblin’s treasure to buy some ale for the dwarves.  Gimil and Ord sat at a table at the Inn, and with Ratlin’s help, finished off the better part of a small pony keg of ale while I talked to Jacob.

First, I asked him if he knew of any families moving into the area, and he said he hadn’t heard of any.  I guess our wagon was destined for greater urban centers than Kharne’s Inn, population 400, 5 dogs, and a nervous stray cat.

Next, I asked him about Erich of Holdefast. Well, he wouldn’t’ stop talking!  Turns out his dad was somehow involved with Erich, and knew of the battle when the King’s men had defeated him.  I asked about his stronghold, and yep, just like I thought – no one had found it. I changed the subject quick so he wouldn’t’ get suspicious, and asked him about any shops that buy used equipment.  He said there really wasn’t, but he’d take a look at what we had.

Sheesh!  He offered about a hundred gold for everything! Equipment, linens, wagon, and all.  I think Ratlin about choked on his ale, and Ord was making “No, No, No!” signals.  He THOUGHT he was being discreet, but let me tell you, a dwarf on half a keg of ale is about as subtle as a naked ogre at a halfing picnic.  I about had to pour another ale down his throat to get him to realize I wasn’t taking the deal. They must think we had just pulled from out of town!  Well, I guess we did, with two dwarves pulling a wagon…  Note to self: Be aware of the impression you make.

Jacob said there was a stable with a couple of mules, so I went about bought those while the boys stocked up with ale and food.  They were so irked at the lousy deal that they decided to leave right away.  I let Ord steer while I sat in the wagon and wrote.  Gimil and Ratlin are scouting ahead for the trail.  I think our beasts of burden are a step up from our last one  Prettier, too! Hahaha!

Dear Diary,

We found the path!  Gimil saw faint traces of old wagon ruts about 2 mile south of Kharne’s Inn, so we snuck the wagon into the path and decided to camp.  I’m tired!  I took out some of those linens and slept under the wagon.  G’night Diary

Oops!  News to the Diary before I go to sleep!  Ratlin speaks dwarvish!  I figured it out when Ord said something about me (typical man, it was about my body parts), and Ratlin blushed!  Sneaky little halfling. G’night, again!

Dear Diary,

This morning I made breakfast!  Ratlin’s been doing it so far, since he’s a halfling and thinks he’s the world’s greatest cook or something, but he went out this morning to scout a bit with Gimil, so I had to cook.  I made flapjacks and sausage.  The flapjacks were a little burnt, and they had funny little bits in them (Note to self: find out how Mom made her flapjacks not lumpy), but I did a little fairy magic on them to make them taste like the best flapjacks and the best sausages and everyone liked them.  I sure didn’t appreciate all of Ratlin’s questions about where I learned to cook.  I think he suspected something.  I turned it into an argument, made him feel bad about being suspicious, and told him he can go ahead and cook every day then, so there!  Cooking is not that much fun, really.  I’d rather he do it. Hee hee.

After the argument, Gimil said that the path led into a little hidden valley, so we got the wagon going and followed the path.  There was a fair amount of trees and stuff, and then we saw a small hill up ahead with a tower with a small building attached to it.  We parked the wagon in some bushes, and started to sneak up on the tower.

A bad smell attacked us!  Actually it was a horrible smell, and I was about to make a joke about dwarves and baths when I realized I didn’t smell unwashed dwarf!  It was a small group of goblins who had died weeks ago and been turned into zombies or something!  I shrieked, and Gimil and Ord rushed them.  I fired a couple of kill undead rays at them, and we finished them off.  Yuck!

We are now sitting under some trees and looking at the tower.  We figure there may be more undead, so Ord did a spell that masked Ratlin from undead, and he’s scouting.  On top of the tower are some skeletons, some with bows and one with a sort of bowl shaped thing that we can’t figure out.  Ratlin’s coming back, more later.  It’s getting towards evening.
_


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## Oghma (Jan 21, 2002)

_Dear Diary,

What a day and night!  Adventure!  Loot!  Battle!  We are a great group!  Gimil is a MIGHJTY warrior, Ord is a MIGHJTY cleric, and Ratlin is the sneakiest sneaker in the land!.  I, of course, am MIGHTY in the ways of magic! M I GH T Y! Posy the Sorceress!

When Ratlin came back he said that there were two doors on the tower, one heavy and oak, the other one the other side of the building was lighter and had a lock that he picked, the stealthy little bugger.  We figured we could move around to the back side of the tower and then rush to the back door and maybe get in before we were noticed by the skeletons on top of the tower.

Bad plan.  We sent Ratlin ahead to throw the door open, and then when he signaled he was ready, we raced up the hill.  CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! We heard from the tower, and assorted arrow shots rained down on us.  Luckily we were only exposed for a few seconds, and unluckily that the bowl shaped thing the skeleton was holding was a bell. Ratlin threw open the door, and inside was one of the biggest skeletons I have ever seen!  It must have been 8 feet tall and had a huge spear in its hand.  

Gimil rushed it and cracked at it with his sword and missed.  Ord rushed in with his axe and took a swing at it and missed.  I hung back and popped off an undead ray, and missed, too!  Our luck got even worse when Ratlin tried to do a sort of flip and roll thing past it to get into the room and the skeleton skewered him with the spear!  Ratlin screamed and backed away, I popped off another ray and missed, again!

Gimil was the only one that could connect the whole fight, and Gimil finally powdered it with a MIGHTY swing of his blade.  Ord healed Ratlin up a bit, and we looked at the room quickly.  (We could still hear the CLANG CLANG CLANG from the tower.)

Tattered, worn out clothing and broken furniture cluttered the floor. Most of the articles of clothing were a man’s garments, while the furniture was old and worn out.  There was a door that led into the tower area, and we decided to rush it quickly before more of the occupants were alerted.

Gimil hit the door hard with his shoulder and bounced off.  Ord hit with his shoulder and bounced off.  I wanted to tell them to use something harder, like their heads, but they both hit it and the same time and it opened up to a large circular room that filled the entire inside of the tower. Four zombies were in the room and we fought them, dropping a couple by the time the skeletons from the tower came down, one still ringing that stupid bell.  I shot some missiles at them and we powdered them after a bit.  

 A small fire was burning on an open hearth near the north wall. The room’s walls were white washed. A steep set of stairs went up the south wall and a rusted iron ladder was attached to the wall above the landing where the stairway abruptly ended. (This was where the skeletons came down.) A large canopied bed was in the center of the room with an ornate brassbound chest lying near its foot. On the east wall there a huge cabinet, while at its side is a wooden pallet with a sack on it.

Ratlin and I went to checking out the room while Gimil and Ord did some healing.  There was a big carpet under the bed that we dragged aside to find a trapdoor leading down, and the chest seemed locked and Ratlin didn’t want to try it.  In the cabinet were some food things, and there was barley in the sack. Gimil and Ord came down from the tower with a bunch of arrows that the skeletons had.

Now that the clanging was gone we sat in the room a bit and listened.  Without the loud clanging it was eerie, like one of those moments when you are afraid to say anything because you might scare yourself, not to mention everyone around you.  The rush of the last few minutes was a stark contrast to the silence we were experiencing.

I rummaged around in my sack for a snack and everyone glared at me, so I stopped.  

After a few minutes Ratlin sighed and said, “I don’t hear anything, it seems that no one was paying attention to the bell.”

Gimil grunted and nodded, and Ord looked thoughtful and said, “I wonder if they can hear the noise through the carpet and the floor.”

I said, “Can we eat now?”  Really, these men-folk!  I needed sustenance after all that activity!  

We put Ratlin near the trap door and we ate a bit, tightened all our armor (I changed into a different robe; the purple one Mom left in my adventure pack was a bit dirty from rummaging around the tower.  The piping seemed a little too showy, too, so I put on that powder blue one that’s kind of plain, but is good sturdy cloth.  I didn’t want one of the guys looking up it when I went into the trapdoor, since Ord or Ratlin would probably be down just before me. I had my powder blue panties on, so they wouldn’t be able to tell what they were looking at, and it didn’t show lines.  Adventurers must be practical, too!)

I took you out, Diary, to make some notes but got a LOOK from Gimil, so I decided to put you away until we were sure we were safe.

Down we went into the trapdoor, Gimil leading, followed by Ord and Ratlin.  I waited until they had checked the room below out before popping down.  There was a hallway that led out of the room and to the left (I guess it was the west).  Ratlin checked the lock on the door and it was open, so he got ready to open it for Gimil and Ord.  He flung it open to find a laboratory sort of room with five orcs and a woman casting a spell.  A magic missile hit Gimil from the spell caster and some of the orcs fired bows.  Slowly but surely, Gimil and Ord fought their way into the room and I popped of some shots at the necromancer.  Ratlin shot at any orc body part he could target, and before long the necromancer (so we later discovered) tried to duck into another room, but we got her before she could get away.

That was the last of the bad guys!  We went through everything, and found a bunch of stuff, but the coolest was a wand, which shot magic missiles.  I got that, while Ratlin found a suit of leather armor, which was magical, and we found the spell books that the necromancer had.  From what we could piece together, it seemed that she was a pupil of Erich of Holdfast, and she had his books and some of her own.  They didn't have a pure connection to magic such as myself, they had to study it in dusty old tomes.  I am mighty in the ways of magic! Hmpf!

There was some gold, but the real treasure, I guess, was those books, which we could sell to some wizard-type.  There was a diary of Erich’s and Rebecca’s.  Gimil got a magic ring that deflects blows, and there was a scroll with some spells I’ll have to look at and study, phooey!  Also, the tower itself was in a secret location, so it’s possible we could use it for a stronghold.  

I’m writing this after we cleared out the tower and have barricaded the doors and brought the wagon into the main room.  We are setting watch on the tower, but we all need some rest.

I’m sleepy.  My watch is the third one, because Gimil and Ord can see in the dark, and Ratlin is blind as a bat and needs morning light (and time to cook breakfast!), whereas I’m kind of in between.  I can do my magic exercises without interruption while the others sleep, too.

I like our group.  I’ve never really known dwarves, and I’d heard they were really very serious and grumpy.  They are.  I mean, I’d like to bottle that look Gimil gives me sometimes and fire it off at an orc or something.  Death by glance. Once a dwarf calls you friend, however, they will lay down their life for you.  That sounds melodramatic, but I think it’s true.  I’m beginning to feel that loyalty towards them.

Ratlin is sneaky, but friendly to all of us.  He’s fun and funny, and a part of you doesn’t want to trust him, but you like him anyway.  So far I haven’t had any reason to believe he’d do anything to harm us, so I think his “untrustworthiness” is an act he’s used to trotting out for humans.

It’s late, and my head is too heavy to continue such heavy thoughts.  More tomorrow.  G’night Diary!
_


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## Oghma (Jan 21, 2002)

_Dear Diary, 

Today when I did my spell exercises I noticed sort of new opening in my abjuration sequence.  I played around with it a bit and found that I can now make the air around myself (and a target) stiff like armor.  I tried it out on myself, then I went over to Gimil and tried it out on him.  I had to convince him a bit, saying I knew powerful dwarven runes that I could use to protect him.  I used my fairy magic to write, “Goblins beware!” on his chest in gnome, and on his arms I wrote, “This is my right” on his left arm, and “This is my left” on his right arm. He can’t read, but the runes are dwarvish after all.  Then I cast my new spell and he was very pleased.  The spell lasts a few hours, and it’s pretty handy.

Ord couldn’t read them, since he doesn’t understand gnomish, but I think he suspected something.  Still, it was funny to watch Gimil raising his right and left arms during his exercises.  I almost hurt myself trying not to laugh.  Hee hee.

We decided to spend the day resting and cleaning.  I used the remainder of my fairy magic to clean up everything I could dust-wise, and Gimil and Ord buried everything we killed.  We found a little vegetable garden and Ratlin made a nice stew, and we all generally used the time well.  Ord and Gimil cleaned up a lot of the ironwork and stonework, and the place got a good airing out.

We took our watches on the tower, and that worked out well, too.  You can see most of the valley from this little hill.

Dear Diary,

Today we spent more time cleaning up and making lists of things we might need to call this place home.  No one knows where it is, and though we are probably going to leave it now, it’s a nice place to keep in mind.  We have all sorts of goblin and orc equipment to sell, and some nice things we found around here.  If I get enough money from this I think I’m going to call my familiar.  I like the idea of a little friend to call my own.  

It’s about two day’s travel to the nearest big town where we can sell things and I can buy what I need for my familiar.  We’ll set out tomorrow, the dwarves are cooking up some sort of defenses to stop people from entering, and I think Rat’s going to lock the place up from the inside.

Dear Diary,

We set off today in our wagon, our two handsome mules pulling while Ord steered and I sat in the back.  Rat and Gimil took turns scouting ahead, and it was a pretty uneventful day.  I spent most of my time tallying up all the stuff we had so I could talk to a merchant when we get to Farvale.

I got a chance to talk a lot with Ord, and after the usual amount of Clangeddin drivel, I got a chance to find out more what he is like.  He’s really kind of nuts about war and battle.  He’s made notes about goblin and orc tactics, and how to fight undead!  He showed them to me, and from what I can remember, he was able to pick up a lot in just a few battles.  I man, down to how goblins buckle their armor, for goodness sake!

I can kind of understand his intensity better.  I mean, before, all I heard was gas and prayer from Ord, so I’d kind of been calling him the “Stinky Priest” in my head.  I guess what it comes down to is this: he loves battle, and for someone like him, worshipping the god of war is the only choice.  Clangeddin is to him the most direct way to be a great warrior.  The detail of his notes, like how goblins buckle their armor, merely serves to make him a better warrior.

He still has a lot of gas, though.  I could also do without the comments about my chest. 

Dear Diary,

We got another chance to save some humans today, and this time we made the most of it.

We had made camp for lunch off the trail, and Gimil was looking off into the woods when he suddenly straightened up and readied his bow.  We all hopped up, getting ready for anything.  Just in case, I started putting the new armor spell on Gimil.  

A few seconds later we saw three humans running like crazy from our left to right.  They were about 100 feet from us, sprinting and occasionally stumbling.  To our left, behind the humans we saw a band of goblins chasing them.  Despite his dislike for human/s Gimil hates goblins, and so he fired off a quick shot and ran towards the goblins.  Ord blessed us with the might of Clangeddin, while I looked to the tail end of the goblin group and saw a nice group of four standing together.  Poof! They were asleep.  Rat ran with the others while I trotted in the direction of the battle.  I wasn’t going to let myself get mobbed by goblins.

Ord, Rat, and Gimil took shots at the goblins as the closed, while I shouted “Over here!” to the humans.  I fired off another sleep and got two more.  I would have had three but one resisted.

The humans ran towards our wagon for safety as Gimil and Ord unlimbered their melee weapons and waded in.  Since I didn’t want to be a part of that, Rat and I went to take care of all the sleeping ones before they became a problem.  I’d hate to have them wake up on us.  Goblins are nasty.  I took my staff and whacked em across the throat.  WHACK! Nasty goblins!

The humans were really grateful, of course.  They were all priests of Heironeous, travelling back to their temple on the outskirts of Farvale.  We offered them passage with us, and they accepted.  They’d seen how good we were at killing goblins!

We got more goblin armor and equipment, too, and the goblins had some 60 gold pieces and about 35 silver.  Our wagon must look like a goblin morgue.  I think I’ll use some bags to cover some of it up.  Maybe use something to clean up the armor.

Oops!  Ok, note to self: Ale is not to be used for cleaning in the presence of dwarves.  My ears are still burning!  Ord and Gimil have made it clear to me that ale is for drinking, water is for washing, and I’ve learned some new dwarven swear words.  I’m not sure what “Mulg” means, though.  I’ll have to listen more carefully next time.  Maybe I’ll ask Rat – he may know.

We’re camping tonight off the road.  Sometime mid-day tomorrow we should be in Farvale.

I must be changing a lot.  Before, the goblin fight we had today would have had me shaking and apprehensive, but it’s starting to feel like “all in a day’s work”.  Not that I’ll be spell-battling a dragon or anything, but I’m less scared and more focused on what’s right to do.  Gimil told me it was smart to take out the trailing goblins in the chase because that way none of them would be seen falling asleep.  That’s what I thought, too, but it was nice to be told I did a good job.

G’night, Diary
_


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## Oghma (Jan 21, 2002)

_Dear Diary,

This morning when we woke up, those priests had been talking to each other for a while already. They were all huddled up and sort of whispering back and forth while Rattlin was making breakfast. They’d look at us occasionally, then go back to whispering.

Finally, I got a little tired of it and walked up to them. 

“Hey!” I said, “can I get in on the secret?”

The oldest one drew himself up to speak, then realized that he should probably draw himself down to speak, so went over to a tree stump and sat down so he could be at eye level with me.

“Posy,” he said seriously, “ your group (my group!) is a strong and good group. You dispatched those goblins with ease, and saved us. We were on our way to Farvale to see if we could find an adventuring group to help our little abbey with a problem. Having met you, we know we need to look no further to find an able party. Will you help us?”

I looked him over a bit, and signaled for the rest of the party to come over. Soon Gimil, Ord, and Rattlin had gathered around.

“Everyone,” I said, “these good priest of Heironeous would like to hire us, but I haven’t heard their proposition yet.”

Ord looked at me with an unreadable expression. “They propositioned you?” he said with a grin. “They must be hard up.”

Rattlin chimed in, “That’s stooping kind of low for a human, if you know what I mean.”

Ha. Ha. I could have killed them both. Smart alecks. I’ll return the favor sometime.

“Very funny,” I said. “Now, priest, tell us your needs.”

“First, let me tell you a little about myself and our order. I am Jean Martin, priest of Heironeous. The Order of the Risen Star is a peaceful monastic commune whose members dwell within a small chapel upon the crest of the Hartsblood Hills. Our priests often descend into the surrounding valleys to tend to the villages there and perform last rites and burials as needed.

A recent earthquake has opened a passage to a series of uncharted caverns beneath the Order's vaults. The brothers dispatched to explore their depths have not been seen nor heard from in a week's time, so the Order must seek aid from outside its walls. Our abbot, Martine Gerrard, sent us to Farvale to seek a band of adventurers willing to search.”

He paused, looking at all of us. “I think we need look no further. Are you willing to help?”
Rattlin piped up, “What’s it worth to ya?” I kicked him in the shins.

“Hush!” I said to him, “we’ll get to that!”

Jean smiled. “I understand your friend’s point. I was an adventurer once myself. Why should you risk peril if there is no reward. While I now seek other-worldly rewards, you seek perhaps more material benefits?”

He was a smooth one, that priest.

“I have some questions first,” I said. “How are you a peaceful community while worshiping the god of honor? I’ve heard of Heironeous’ paladins before, they are quite warlike.”

“There are many facets to honor. There is honor in battle honor to oneself, honor to your community. We emphasize the more peaceful, internal aspects of honor because honor in battle can lead to glory-seeking, and that is counter to Heironeous’ will.”

“How many brothers were sent down to investigate – the ones that did not come back?” I asked.

“There were three. Brother Durham is the abbot’s second, and two acolytes. They took climbing and exploring equipment with them.”

“How far are we from the monastery?”

Jean frowned. “I’m not sure, but at least two days travel. We are now on the southern side of Farvale, and the monastery is to the north. We’d been harried by these goblins since yesterday. They’d cut us off from the route into town and we were trying to get around them to someplace safe.”

“Can we go through Farvale, then? We need to sell some equipment and purchase some things before we embark on another adventure.”

Ord interrupted, “And the reward for this is... ?”

Jean smiled, “I am sure that the abbott will offer you a generous reward. I’m not sure what form that it will take, but it may include some magical items.”

Magic! Woo! I love magical items. I wonder what the monastery will have?

We set out for Farvale and were about two hours out of town when we were again attacked!

Now, remember, Diary, that we set up our little expedition with Ord driving, myself in the back of the wagon keeping an eye behind us, and Ratlin and Gimil alternating as scouts forward.  The priests were walking behind uour cart about 40 feet.  We were going up a slight hill in a sort of forested area when suddenly a HUGE man charged out of the woods.  Farther down the road, we saw some orcs pop out and run towards Ratlin, who was scouting out front!

The huge man was really an ogre!  I was sitting in the back when I heard Ord yell “By the brass balls of Clangeddin!”  I hopped off the back left end of the cart and the ogre was only about 30 feet away, charging hard!  He had this enormous club in both hands and he was heading right towards Gimil, who had hopped off the left front of the wagon.  I looked down the road and there was Ratlin, running for his life as two orcs chased him towards the cart.  Two more were taking aim at him with javelins as he ran.

Right away I started a sleep spell, hoping that I could stop those orcs from getting to Ratlin.  Ord had hopped off the front right of the wagon and had started heading towards Ratlin to help.  My sleep spell went off, and I put one of the orcs with a javelin to sleep.  His partner was so surprised, he forgot to throw at Ratlin!

Meanwhile, the ogre had taken a mighty swing at Gimil, and Gimil had barely gotten out of the way.  The ogre was about 20 feet from me now, and I have never seen anything so scary in my life!  It was three times my height, and had an ugly misshapen face with a gaping mouth that was roaring some gibberish about dwarf meat.  I don’t know how Gimil could just stand there in front of it, but he did, and took a mighty swing at it, and TOOK it’s HEAD right OFF!  One swing! SLICE! No more ogre!  Gimil is my HERO!


Well, there was suddenly a lot of blood on our side of the cart, but I could see that the orc I had put to sleep had woken up his friend and was aiming again!  I fired off another sleep spell, and got them both! HA!

Ratlin had made it to Ord, and they were fighting hand to hand with the orcs as Gimil charged up to help.  The priests were hotfooting it to help us, but Ord, Gimil, and Ratlin were able to take care of the two orcs without help.  Ratlin was able to get behind the one Ord was fighting with a cartwheel and tumble, and gave the orc a nasty shot in the vitals.  Gimil took a couple of swings at the other orcs and killed it.

The priests helped heal Gimil, Ord and Ratlin.  I went to the back of the wagon and got sick.  I’m not sure if anyone saw me, but no one said anything to me about it at the time.  I was so scared from seeing that ogre, I had the shakes for a while. I hid it a bit by running up the road to take care of the sleeping orcs, and by the time Gimil had reached there, my hands weren’t shaking anymore.  I congratulated him on his attack on the ogre, and his face split into a wide grin.  

On the way back to the cart, he told me how he had trained with the other young dwarves to fight large creatures, but that this was the first time he had to fight one for real.  He was describing what he had done, and I tried to look nonchalant, but I was still seeing that ogre head topple off the body and trying not to let my hands start shaking again.  I covered up again by saying to Ord, "Brass Balls of Clangeddin?  Is it the knocking them together that gave him his name?"  Ord laughed and everyone relaxed a bit.

The priests had helped strip the dead bodies of items, and we found a big purple amethyst in a bag on the ogre’s belt.  We loaded up the cart with the equipment and continued in to Farvale.

We reached Farvale about noon, and while I arranged for stabling and rooms for us, the dwarves and Ratlin went into the inn for lunch.  I grabbed a bite with them and left them to their own devices while I went to an armorer and weaponsmith the innkeeper told me about.  We had so much equipment from goblins and orcs and the Ogre that I was able to get almost a thousand gold pieces in trade!

I went back to the Inn, and sure enough, Ord, Gimil and Ratlin were halfway to total inebriation, and the news of our haul had them roaring and cheering.  I felt sort of bad for the other inn patrons, but the dwarves were actually buying rounds, so I suppose it was ok.  Ratlin couldn’t believe his eyes, and kept sneaking drinks form the dwarves in case they stopped being so generous.

I reminded them all that we only had a day in town, and that I had to re-supply the wagon.  I let them know we had rooms upstairs and left.

I was in search of something very important.

Ever since my master, Old Felster had shown me how to call a familiar, I had been saving up money to call one of my own.  Feltser had a cat named Arabella that looked at me with oddly intelligent eyes.  He would talk to it all the time, and I knew that the cat had some odd powers.  I would hear Felster arguing with Arabella sometimes, but you could tell that they both were really attached to each other.

I was tired, I was scared, and a little lonely.  I trusted my companions, but we had only been together for less than two weeks (this was the ninth day since I left home).  I was getting a little tired of being the only girl in a wagon full of grunting, windy dwarves and a sharp-tongued little halfling.  I wanted a dog.  A girl dog.

I asked around until I had found the market and went off in search of a young girl dog for sale.  I walked around for a few hours, checking each littler, talking to each seller, and not finding anything I liked.  First, most of the dogs were big war dogs that I could probably ride, which is what every seller first thought.  I didn’t want a mount, I wanted a companion!  Then, once they understood I wanted a pet, they all sent me to this seller that sold these tiny dogs that took more time with their hair than I did!  Those dogs didn’t bark, they made these annoying yippy noises that drove me up the wall.  I could just see Ord and Gimil with one of these little monsters.  They’d think I had lost my mind.

I finally found a little tea shop about four o’clock, and sat down for a bit of a think.  I needed to get back to the inn before the others got concerned. (Little did I know that their biggest concern at the time was where the next drink was coming from.  They had spent the afternoon finding a pewterer who could make them mugs with their names on it, and the rest of the day filling the mugs.  Over and over again.  Dwarves!)

While I was sipping my tea this little boy came and stood next to me with a lollipop in his hand and just stared at me.  He looked at me for a while, until he finally asked, in a small voice, “Are you a dwarf?”

I started laughing; I couldn’t help myself.  A dwarf!  Golden haired, ringletted me?  Dresser in purple robes?  I couldn’t even pick up Gimil’s sword!  I almost didn’t notice the hurt look in the boy’s eyes, I was giggling too much.  He looked foolish and a little nervous, and I finally stopped laughing long enough to notice.

“Hey, hey, I’m sorry,” I said comfortingly.  “I wasn’t laughing at you, I was just thinking of some dwarf friends of mine.  Here, have a cookie.”

The cookie banished all doubts, as I thought it would.

“What’s your name?  Mine’s Posy, and I’m a gnome.”

“I’m Art.  What’s a gnome?” he asked, through a spray of cookie crumbs.

That stumped me for a bit.  I had always been a gnome.  How could I describe being what I’ve been all my life?

“Well, to start with, I’m about fifty eight years old.  That’s probably as old as your grandpa.”

‘Grandpa! Oh no!” His eyes got wide.  “He’ll be looking for me!”  Art started looking around, and then looked up guiltily at a man who had been standing nearby quietly.

He smiled at me and said “No, go on Miss Posy.  I think Art should hear about your race.”

“We tend to live in hills away from big folks like yourself, and we keep our homes hidden.  We like magic and tricks like this!” With that I did my tricky spell and turned his lollipop blue, then green.  “What is your favorite flavor?” I asked.

“Boysenberry!” he exclaimed.  

Poof! I turned his lollipop into a nice deep purple and gave it boysenberry flavor.

“That’s neat!” he said.

“We are friends with dwarves, elves and humans, but we hate goblins and orcs.  Be careful around us, because we like to play tricks on people.  We don’t play mean tricks on nice people, but if you act to full of yourself, we’ll be sure to make fun of you.”

Art took this piece of information seriously.  “I’ll be careful!  You might make my lollipop taste yucky!”

I invited his grandpa to sit down and introduced myself.  He smiled at me and said, “My name is Enry. You must be from Treedimple.”

Surprised, I nodded.  “How did you know?”

“I used to herd sheep in a village near there when I was younger.  I met a gnome there on the hills and we used to chat a lot.  Friendly fellow, name of Roondar Scheppen.  I was saddened to learn he had died in a goblin raid.”

“That’s my uncle!  He was a soldier in the Treedimple militia,” I gasped.  “You knew him?”

“You are that Posy?  He used to speak of you fondly.  He said you were the best of his nieces, though you couldn’t’ tell from what your mother said.  I'm pleased to meet you!”  He smiled.

Hearing about home and my uncle Roondar made me feel suddenly homesick.  I must have shown it, for he said, “You are a ways from home.  How is it that you find yourself in Farvale?”

I told him all about meeting Gimil and Ord and Ratlin, and fighting goblins and the ogre while he listened and Art looked on wide-eyed.  I told him how I couldn’t find a nice dog in the market and that I had to find one soon before I had to leave, and he looked thoughtful.

“Now, I might be able to help you there.  We are shepherds, not dog breeders, but I have a little dog that I’ve been trying to find a home for a while.  She’s a bit rambunctious, but a friendly and loyal dog.  She’s young, like yourself, but ready to travel.  Come with me and I’ll show you.”

Five minutes later I met Ember.  I call her Ember, because she has a bright red mark on her chest that looks like a spark.

I’m in the inn now with Ember, with a couple of sleeping dwarves and a chattering halfling.  I’m going to put you away for the night, Dear Diary, and play with my new friend.  Don’t worry, I’ll visit you again soon. _


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## Oghma (Jan 21, 2002)

_Dear Diary,

I need to start putting dates on my entries, so here it goes:  Today is Moonday, Planting the 10th.  It is late afternoon and we are almost at the monastery of the Order of the Risen Star.  It’s been ten days since I left Treedimple.  I’ve been doing the ritual of binding with Ember most of the day in the wagon, while the priests and the others do the watching.

Guess what? Ratlin learned that he has some magic in him, too!  He had found a falcon familiar, and he did his ritual of binding right along with me.  He named the falcon Millyeneum or something.  Must be a hobbit thing.  He can do this spell where he can hit anything whenever he attacks after casting the spell.  It only works for one attack, but it’s pretty neat.

Ember is a smart dog! She picked up all the ritual steps really easily and when the binding was complete, I could feel her little doggy mind next to mine.  After all that ritual stuff, we got off and ran around a little bit.  I don’t think I’m going to argue with Ember like Felster did with Arabella.

I can see the monastery ahead.  The priests have trotted forward to tell the Abbott. Ember is taking a nap next to me, and I’ll have to write more later.

Dear Diary, 

It’s the evening of Planting 10th.  Abbot Martin Gerrard has told us about the monks that have gone down into the crypt.  His concern for them was so strong that we decided not to rest and to go straight down into the crypt.  He said he’d give us 100 gold apiece and a magic item for finding out what happened to them, or finding them alive.  He said the earthquake has opened up some new areas in the crypt, something that had not been explored.  Ord thinks that there may be an opening to the Underdark that the earthquake may have opened.  We are heading down to the crypt eight now.

Dear Diary,

I almost got Gimil killed.  We’ve been so successful up until now that I’ve started to forget that what we are doing is dangerous.  A moment’s inattention is enough to seriously jeopardize our entire group.

We left the crypt entrance and headed down a flight of stairs.  The crypt was designed to have a flight of stairs, then a level of crypts, then a flight, then a level of crypts for four flights and four crypt levels.  We had gone down the first three flights and had stepped onto the third floor of the crypts.  As we started to make our way to the next set of stairs, a bunch of skeletons started coming our of some crypts that had been broken open.  Ord whipped out his holy symbol and destroyed all nine with his holy power.  Amazing!  I guess Clangeddin has more going for him than brass balls.

When we got to the fourth level, we saw right away that the earthquake had split a crack right through the level and there was a large crevice that led down.  I cast light on a stone and tossed it down the crack.  We saw that about 30 feet down the crevice bottomed out into a pit, but that there was a further crevice that went off into darkness.  We dropped down into the pit (Milly-eneum flew down and we made a sling for Ember.)

We dropped the light stone down the crevice and found that it went about a hundred feet or so down.  We dropped a long rope down the crevice to the bottom.  Here is where I made my near fatal mistake.

Gimil so likes my armor spell that he has taken to just having it on him whenever we are heading into battle.  So far, we hadn’t seen anything, but Gimil decided that he’d go down first.  I forgot to armor him!  He went down that crevice without any protection besides his own agility and senses.

When he hit bottom, he signaled for Ratlin to come down, then we watched in horror as four figures slowly started to surround him!  Ord shouted to look out but it was too late, Gimil was fighting for his life against we didn’t know what and we were all too far away to help!  Ratlin jumped down the rope, paying it out rapidly to make it an almost fall, as I targeted a figure with a magic missile. I can now shoot two of them and so two missiles went streaking into one of the figures.

Gimil was fighting for his life, trying to avoid letting the figures flank him.  As Ratlin came down, he was struck by the claws of one and staggered.  He got back up as Ratlin tried to swing behind one.  He fell and landed badly, but it got the attention of one of them as I sent another two missiles shooting into the one I hit earlier.  Down he went!

Ord jumped down the rope after Ratlin.  Gimil was hit again and then seemed to freeze in position.  The three remaining oriented on Ratlin, who went into a spinning, tumbling frenzy to try to get away from all their attacks.  I stayed up and fired two more missiles into one the Gimil had injured, and it went down.

When Ord landed he showed his holy symbol to the ghouls, for that is what they were.  Two of them went cowering into the corner of the room while the last one fought Ratlin.  

Ord had to keep his eyes on the ghouls he had pinned, but he sidled over to Gimil and gave him a whack to see if he could rouse him.  I sent my final missiles down to the one trying to fight Ratlin, and Ratlin got a shot in on it, and took him down.  I waited up at the pit until Gimil became conscious and he and Ratlin finished off the other ghouls with bolts and arrows.  I sent Ember down in the sling and then followed down myself.

I apologized to Gimil right away.  He looked at me and said that the fault was not mine, that he had forgotten to ask for it.  Still, I vow never to forget to armor him when he needs it.  Maybe even if he doesn’t.

We decided to rest down in that room.  There are a lot of rocks and spiky things sticking up in the room.  There is a bunch of smashed coffins that I’m going to look through with Ratlin.  There is a crevice leading out of the room which we set a guard on while we look and rest

Dear Diary, (Early Morning, Godsday, Planting 11th.  Tanabat, Seven Sisters Festival)

Well, we’ve rested a bit, and Ratlin told us about the Seven Sisters Festival, which is today.  It seems seven lovely sisters entertained Olidammara on this day when he was in disguise as a minstrel. (Ratlin told this story, of course, with a lot of winks and bawdy comments.  I think it’s just wishful thinking.)  He was so pleased by these women that he offered to send them to his halls where they could play forever.  

(What I remember about this festival is that there is a lot of wine drinking going on, and the girls get chased into the vineyards.  I, myself, was never caught, but Bonnie Thimbleprick was, and I’ll bet she let herself get caught.  More than a thimble was pricked that night, I’ll bet.  Goodness! I’ve been listening to Ratlin too much! Look at my language!)

We celebrated by having a couple of mugs of ale and resting.  I declined Ord’s offer to chase me into the vineyards.

We found a bunch of minor items in the smashed coffins (they must have fallen from the crypt), but we found a holy symbol of Heironeous, and it was engraved with the following: “To Brother Durham, for Faithful Service."  A clue!  We are at least on the right track.  

We are about to head off into the crevice, but I’ve put an armor on Gimil, so he will lead the way.  The crevice seems really tall, with a very high ceiling, so we’ll have to watch out for falling rocks and things. Hopefully by the next time I write we'll have found Brother Durham.
Dear Diary, (Late Afternoon, Godsday, Planting 11th.  Tanabat, Seven Sisters Festival)

Well, it was a good thing we were looking up in that crevice because after we had only gone down about 20 feet or so, whoosh!  Out of the sky came a bunch of stinky bird-things with long sucky noses.  Eeeuw!  Ord said they were called stirges.  

I slept a couple of them, Rat got one with a lucky shot, but Gimil and Ord got one attached to them.  I shot one off Ord with a magic missile, and then Gimil tore his off and whacked it against the crevice wall.  We continued down the crevice for another hundred feet or so before opening into a really humid cavern.

The floor was soft and covered with thick, damp moss. Immense, root-like, brown-and-gray tendrils of vegetation dangled down from the ceiling overhead, lightly brushing the tops of the varied fungi in the circular chamber.  It was really steamy and hot, and right away Gimil spotted some black robes in the middle of the patch of fungi.

We started to go toward it when suddenly there was this piercing shrieking noise, and we saw that there were these big mushrooms with holes in the top making noise.  It was awful!  Then these tentacles started coming out from the pile and attacked Gimil!

The shrieking mushrooms and tentacles weren’t’ moving fast, so I took some shots with my wand and the others peppered the mushrooms with crossbow bolts.  One by one, we brought each one down.

Inside the pile of fungus and moss we found bad news:  two of the acolytes lay there dead.  They had their equipment, and that was all.  What had happened to Brother Durham?

There were two other exits to the room, one on the south and one on the east, but the east one looked caved in.  Gimil and Ord poked around a bit, but it looked really closed up.

We left the bodies there for the time being, and took the south exit.  Just as we were crossing the threshold of the tunnel, Gimil stooped down to look at the ground.

“Orc prints!” he exclaimed.  He looked carefully at the tracks, but was only able to determine that there had been a small band of Orcs that came from that eastern exit and had gone south.  We decided to be very careful, since those stupid mushrooms had probably warned the Orcs that we were coming.  Gimil and Ratlin went in front, moving quietly.  Gimil’s darkvision would make the difference with surprise, we hoped.

After a minute or so, Gimil came back and said that he’d seen a room, about eighty feet wide, where there were at least four Orcs that he could see.  He scratched out the room in the dirt and indicated where there were Orcs hiding behind some stalagmites.  (I think that’s what they were.  I can never remember which are the sticky-uppy ones and the hangy-downy ones.)  Gimil said he thought there were more than four in the cave, because there were more than four sets of prints.  

We decided that since Gimil and Ord could see in the dark, they would move in first, as quietly as they could, and get set up to attack.  Ratlin and I would toss in light stones, and that would be the signal to attack.  Ord would first bless us, and I’d do a mage armor on Gimil and myself.  Ratlin and I trotted back to the previous room to make the light stones so they wouldn’t light up the tunnel.

It worked pretty well!  Gimil and Ord slipped in just fine, and when the light stones came shooting out of the tunnel the Orcs were a bit surprised.  We counted seven Orcs.  Four were tucked back behind a few stalagmites, and Ord and Gimil were fighting some to the right as I came in.  I popped a sleep off to the stalagmites-hidden ones and got two!  Ratlin took a shot at on that Ord and Gimil were fighting and got him good, and he dropped.

The two remaining in the stalagmites threw javelins at Ratlin and I and charged.  I shot two missiles into one and dropped it as Ratlin drew his rapier and engaged the other.  Ord and Gimil were fighting the other two and Gimil’s was a highly trained warrior, feinting and ducking and making Gimil’s life difficult.
Gimil finally got a shot in which dropped his right as Ord and Ratlin dropped theirs.  A quick fight, and we were relatively unwounded.  Gimil and Ord had each taken a hit, and Ratlin had a little cut from when he dodged a huge axe swing.

In the room, besides a bunch of sticky-uppy things and dead Orcs, was a boulder that looked like it had been rolled across a tunnel opening.  Ord healed Gimil and Ratlin, and we went to investigate.

The boulder was pretty big, but Ord and gimil thought they could move it.  They tugged and pushed, and finally got it to roll out of the way.  Behind it was a small tunnel leadin to the right.

With lightstones ready, we stepped into the tunnel.  It wound around to a cave where we were faced with a horrible sight!

Brother Durham was spread-eagled on a post, where it looked like he had bled to death from torture.  There were cuts and bruises and strips of skin hanging off him.  I had to run back to the other room to throw up.  It smelled like a slaughterhouse.

Gimil and Ord cut him down and covered him up.  We found the rest of his equipment in there, except for his armor which looked like the Orc warrior had worn.  We packed it all up, made a travois, and begin the trek back.

We left the destroyed crypt feeling like we’d missed something.  We went to the Abbott and recounted everything we’d seen.  He also felt that the Orcs’ presence was unusual, but thought that the cave-in may have re-sealed their entrance into the area.  We promised to explore the whole area tomorrow.

I felt bad for the Abbott after presenting him with the body of Brother Durham.  He seemed to age after we told him how we found the body, and Brother Durham and the Abbot must have been good friends.  The Abbott look tired, but said he would call for a feast in our honor, and I almost felt like telling him we didn’t want a feast.  The look on Ord and Ratlin’s face, though told me they sure needed one, and a chance to relax before we went down again.  I’m going to attend the party, but I’m pretty tired, and I hope to call it a night early.  Besides, writing this entry has made my hands cramp up something awful, since so much happened today!_


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## Oghma (Jan 21, 2002)

_Dear Diary,

I’ve just left the feast, where the dwarves and the monks are seeing who can drink the most.  I sure feel sorry for those priests tomorrow morning.  They have no idea what they are up against.

Dear Diary,

It looks to me like Ord and Gimil had to work hard to win last night.  While they aren’t strictly complaining, they are moving a little slowly, and have been shielding their eyes all day.

We went through the entire crypt complex, searching everywhere, and found no new exits.  The cave-in looked deep at first glance, and Order and Gimil, after consulting each other and saying words like “borehole” and “roof sag”, declared that the cave-in extended for at least thirty feet, and so was unlikely to be a site for new incursions from the Underdark.

We went back up and told the Abbot, who thanked us and gave us these little gem necklaces.  He said they were “undiminished stars” and that they would protect us from death magic.

He also said that there were some monks that were heading out to Longspear, which is several weeks away.  He said he’d pay us to escort them there.  After a little talking, we agreed to do it.  We told the Abbott that we needed to buy supplies in Farvale, and he said that we could stay the night tonight and he’d have the priests meet us in Farvale the day after tomorrow to travel.  That ought to give us enough time to provision and sell.

Dear Diary, (Waterday, Planting 12)

Well, our trip to Longspear looks like it may be a *little* more interesting than we thought.  It seems that those priests are escorting one of their dead brethren to Longspear, so we’ll have a corpse in the wagon with us for almost two weeks! Yuck!  I’m not going to spend a lot of time sitting on the wagon this trip!  The priests assured us that the body won’t be rotting, but I’m sure I don’t want to be testing their promise.

Their deceased companion was part of a group that got waylaid on a pilgrimage.  Some of the group pressed on to contiue the pilgrimage, while these three priests stayed back to return their slain companion’s remains.  The stay-behinds are the Brothers Bole and Ferad.  The dead guy is Valon.  They are all priests of Heironeous, god of valor, like the Order of the Risen Star here at the monastery.

Ember doesn’t seem to have a problem with the body being on the wagon.  She sniffed around it a bit, but didn’t raise her hackles at all and after a few more sniffs, seemed uninterested.  Bole said they prayed over the body and Heironeous granted the body a peaceful sleep, which maybe accounts for Ember’s nonchalance.  Still, yuck!

We set out for Farvale early in the morning and arrived late this afternoon.  The trip was uneventful, so I spent most of the time doing an inventory, stepping around the casket and counting the things we had gained from the crypt.

Our inventory:

	Gold pieces total: 669 WOW!
	Silver pieces total: 278
	Seven suits of orc scale mail
	Seven orc great axes
	Seven javelins
	Masterwork club
	Potion of invisibility
	Two potions of Cure medium wounds
	One suit chainmail, magical
	One mace, magical
	Divine scroll with Dispel Magic and Prayer

	Quite a haul!  I was able to sell the weapons and armor for 240 gold, and sell the armor and mace for - get this - almost 3,000 gold!  After splitting everything four ways, we each had over 1,000 gold each.  We found an inn in town here that sells dwarven ale, so I have plenty of time to write while Ratt, Ord, and Gimil try them all.  I have had a nice hot bath, and have a small mug up here in our room, and I’m going to go to sleep soon.

This is likely to be a long boring trip.  I’m not looking forward to spending two weeks with a bunch of stiff priests (one who is really a stiff) and ale-swilling dwarves.  I hope something interesting will happen!

Dear Diary (the events of Earthday, Planting 13)

Shopping day!  This morning we all went our separate ways to buy whatever we wanted.  Of course, the guys made me also do the provisioning for the trip, since I wasn’t going to buy anything “important”.  Hmph!  They are all weapon and armor crazy.

I went and bought a few nice robes and tunics, including a pretty violet tunic  with gold trim.  I had to go buy some shoes to match, and found a darling pair made by a gnome cobbler named Fitzrumple.  I wound up buying three pairs of shoes at his shop!  They were really comfortable, and a bargain.

Halfway through the day Gimil and Ord found me and they were a bit winded.  It seems they had found a bowyer with these incredible bows, well made and with a pull to them that, they boasted, only a dwarf could accomplish.  I nodded politely, and said, “That's nice…”

Gimil and Ord looked at each other, then looked at me.

Ord said, “ You ask her.”

Gimil gave Ord a look and said, “I thought you were going to ask her.”

I rolled my eyes and said, interrupting, “Do you think these shoes match my eyes?”

By their stammered answers, both praising my eyes and the shoes, I could tell that they really wanted something.  It was up to me to ask, though, because they couldn’t decide who was going to face my wrath, I guess. *snicker* 

“So, how was your shopping?” I asked.

“Uh, well, that’s the thing, Posy.” Ord said.  “These bows are kind of expensive.”

“And..?” I prompted.

“Well, we have already bought some excellent weapons, see?”  With this Ord and Gimil both showed me Gimils’ new greatsword and Ord’s new battleaxe.  I oohed and aahed over them.  They looked nice, but what did I know?

“That’ll sure slice up some ogres, eh, Gimil?”  “That looks like just the thing for a priest of Clangeddin, Ord!”

“Posy, can we borrow some money?”

At last!  I thought I’d have to say something actually knowledgeable about their weapons.  “So that’s it?  You want to borrow money for the bows”

They both nodded.

“Well, let’s go see this bowyer, then,” I said.  “Come on!”

I made the bowyer tell me why his bows were so special, and got him to let me try to pull one.  It was impossible.  I asked Gimil and Ord to pull their bows, and, by golly, they had to strain to pull them back.  The bowyer had an archery target (Gimil, Ord, and the bowyer called them butts.)

All this time I knew I was going to help them get the bows, but it was fun to watch them squirm a bit.  They kept looking embarrassed when the bowyer had to explain something to me that was obvious to any bow user, but I learned a lot.  About bows, and about men.

“Ok then, when can we pick them up?” I said.  “Can we take them now?”
After a few minutes, when Ord and Gimil’s jaws had found their way back up to their faces, they were the proud owners of what were admittedly some pretty incredible bows.  Ord kept stroking his in it’s leather case.  You’d think he was an elf!

When we got back to the Inn, Rattlin was in the room looking satisfied.  He showed us a small set of tools that he had picked up which he said would help him with those pesky locks.  Ord and Gimil showed him their bows, and I think Rattlin really liked them.  I wanted to show them my new clothes, but they were too engrossed in the bows, saying things like “nocking point” and “80-pound draw”.

I went down to the innkeeper and he said he’d had everything I asked for loaded on to the wagon.  We were provisioned for three weeks, and the two casks of ale were also on board.  I thanked him and paid him, and asked if he could have a dinner brought up to the room, with a few pitchers of all and one of wine.

We celebrated our good fortune for the rest of the night. I apologize, Dear Diary, because I went to bed without saying good night, but I was too tired and had had too much wine.  Today is Planting 14, and those were the events from yesterday.  

We left this morning early, after the priests had come to our rooms, and we set out with Ratt and Gimil alternating in front, Rattlin’s falcon flying overhead, and myself sitting on one of the casks writing while Ord is driving.  I need to stretch my legs a bit, so I’ll get back to you later, Diary.

Dear Diary (Freeday, Planting 14)

I’ve had a lot of time to write, but really didn’t feel like worrying about the bumps and jostling that happen on the wagon today. The road out of Farvale was pretty rough, passing through the mountains.

It’s been a peaceful day. Ember and I played fetch, and Bole turned out to have a lute which he played every so often. It reminded me of Brewfest celebrations, where the whole village of Treedimple would decorate the market square with autumn leaves and symbols. There’d be games, minstrels playing, and plays, and Felster would put on his Grand Illusion show.

I always wondered why Felster wound up in Treedimple. Why would a human wizard be living in a town full of gnomes? I know he loved illusions, but he must have felt out of place all the time. The Rollicking Rover Inn had to put him out on the porch, since he didn’t fit into the building, but he never went to the Pufflesnuffer, the Inn that all the big people travelers used.

My family knew of him and thought him a bit loony - a human sitting on the porch of a gnomish inn in a gnomish village, smoking his pipe and chatting with the locals. They thought great-great-grandma Bonicka was a bit loony, too, for falling in love with a pixie or whatever, and I always liked stories about her. When my talent began to manifest itself, they closed the doors and had a long argument, and then my mother (Bonicka’s great granddaughter) marched me off to see Felster, who began my instruction.

Felster, Glittergold bless his heart, did his best with me. I remember having a lot of fun at his expense, but he never took anything personally. In that way, he was very gnomish.

I miss Felster. He was pretty strict, but I think he showed me that my gift was just that, a gift. He never acted as if *I* was strange for being able to do things other gnomes couldn’t. He would get upset with I used it poorly, or used it for the wrong reasons, but that I could do it was never cause for comment. I think it is because of him I can still use my magic while orcs and goblins are charging and dwarves are swinging huge weapons about.

Townspeople teased me at first, which is how I got the name Feytickle. They didn’t tease me too much after I got better at it though! I made sure that anyone who was cruel found something unusual written on his or her forehead, or his or her ale a bit too spicy. 

My father’s family and various other relatives muttered darkly whenever I did things beyond normal gnomish tricks at family gatherings, but my father never acted like there was anything wrong, and my mother was always proud of me. I miss my family, too. The only thing I have from home is you, Diary, so I can hold you and tell you my memories and you will remember our home, too._


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## Oghma (Jan 21, 2002)

_Dear Diary (Starday, Planting 15)

We’re heading down from the hills around Farvale now, and you can see the entire valley of the Yeomanry laid out below us. There are trees and hills still in the way most of the time, but every once and a while we’ll come around a bend and suddenly there will be a beautiful scenic view.

Ord and Gimil spend their time up front speaking in Dwarvish. Ord tells Gimil all these tales of famous dwarf warriors and craftsmen, then Gimil will tell his version, and they’ll compare them. I guess Gimil’s clan was killed, and he’s trying to learn all the things that he should have known from his elders. I can’t imagine having Treedimple wiped out, that would be horrible. I was extra nice to Gimil today.

When Rattlin comes back from his turn up front, I’m going to ask him about his family.

Dear Diary,

Well, Rattlin says he didn’t know his father very well, because he was always away. Rattlin is from Verbobonc, and how he got here is quite a story, especially for someone as young as he is.

It appears that Rattlin grew up mostly with his mother and the small community of halflings in Verbobonc. His father was an adventurer, and they were fairly well off. They had a nice little house and he grew up just like all the other neighborhood kids, just with infrequent visits from his dad.

While he was growing up, he’d roam the city market watching people, buying sweets, and the like, until one day he spotted a dwarf working a gaming table at a town fair. The dwarf was doing a three-card monte table, which I guess is some sort of card game. (I wasn’t about to let Ratt know I had NO IDEA what he was talking about.) The dwarf was steadily taking money from people, losing a little, winning a lot.

Ratt started watching carefully and saw the dwarf palming a card, so that the mark (I guess that’s the guy playing) would pick the wrong card every single time. Ratt saw this dwarf do it one handed, left-handed, right-handed, you name it. Finally, Ratt decided to go talk to him.

“Hey mister, can you teach me how to do that?” Ratt asked.

“Go away, kid doesn’t your momma know where you are?” said the dwarf.

“Nope.” Ratt looked at the dwarf a second. “It’s inside your left sleeve.”

“Get lost!”

“I can say it louder if you’d like.” Rattlin grinned. “I can tell you where you hid the red card each time for each of the last players. The scruffy human you cheated – that one you hid the card in your right sleeve. The one before that went into the drawer in your table.”

The dwarf looked like the blood from his head would explode and cover the market in red.

Ratt looked nonchalant. “It would be easier for you to have someone standing here anyway, making people think they could win, wouldn’t it?”

“I could use a shill, and yer a likely one.” The dwarf looked craftily at Rattlin. “Yer not getting a cut, nor will you set up somewheres else?”

“Nope, but you’ll teach me everything. No cut, no competition, I just want to know.”

This explained something about Rattlin that always had me wondering. For a halfling of his talents, he doesn’t have a real larcenous streak. He grew up with enough money, so he does it for the fun of it, I guess.

That old dwarf taught him a lot of stuff. Rattlin showed me some of the tricks he could do, and I could do em myself, but he didn’t have to use magic! He was pretty good at it.

Rattlin does this for a couple of years and then he goofs up. I mean, here is this rather streetwise kid - knows his way around, knows people, has a good head on his shoulders…

So he gets drunk and wakes up on a ship heading out to the Azure Sea! He wound up in Longspear, and that’s pretty much how he made it to the Yeomanry.

My asking him these questions has him pretty excited, so he’s telling everyone all this stuff now. We’ve camped for the night and are listening to Ratt’s stories and laughing. I’m going to bed soon, so I’m going to put you away for the night, Dear Diary.

Dear Diary (Sunday, Planting 16)

Bole and Ferdal say that we will reach Loftwick in about five days.  By my calculations, that will be about the time the ale runs out.  Ord, Gimil, and Ratlin have been sampling the ale while we walk, eat, and when we are asleep.  We stop more often for visits to the bushes than an army of lentil-bladdered halflings!

We continue down the hills out of Farvale.  We should reach the valley and skirt the mountains to the north until we reach Loftwick.  It’s the capital of the Yeomanry, Ratt says.

Dear Diary (Moonday, Planting 17)

A bit of a spooky day.  It started out with a light drizzle, but that tapered off and it wound up being a gray sort of day, overcast with a sort of heavy feeling in the air.  The drizzle started up on and off later.  We’ve been sort of hugging the highlands because Loftwick isn’t in the valley, it’s more along the mountains and we didn’t want to wind up having to climb up again. 

The occasionally gray exposed rocks of the mountains added to the over-all feeling of gray.  Even hills in the distance, though I knew from the day before they were covered in green grasses, seemed that same, dull color.

I wore my purple robe with the pink trim because I wanted to brighten things up.  I put a bright scarf on Ember too, and so we were like lamps in a dungeon!

Not that it mattered, really.  The dwarves were grumpy and Rattlin kept complaining about how wet his feet were.  This went on for most of the day, until we entered this small rocky pass.

There were gray rock faces to either side, about 60 feet apart and assorted gray rocks tumbled onto the road.  We were picking our way past them, with Rattlin and Gimil about 30 feet ahead, when suddenly two of the rocks stood up and attacked Gimil and Ratt!

Ord, the quick thinker and tactician, shouted “Gargoyles!  We need magic weapons!”  I didn’t know that, but it didn’t matter.  My magic does just fine.

Gimil and Ratt retreated while Ord made his axe magical and the priests blessed our group.  I ran around from the back of the wagon and popped Ratt’s foe with a couple of missiles (I love that I shoot two now! ZIPZIP!!)

The gargoyles followed Ratt and Gimil and tore them up a bit.  Gimil needed my mage armor!

Bole and Ferdal enchanted Rattlin and Gimil’s weapons while Ord charged down to help Ratt.

The gargoyles were ripping into Gimil pretty hard. I stepped up and armored him up to help.  Gimil shouted his thanks and began swinging his new sword around with vigor, whacking the gargoyle a hard blow that shattered its skin!

Rattlin tried to flank one of the gargoyles, but it appeared that his blows weren’t having the effect he sought. Either way, they were whacking off chips of stone from them.

The priests waited near the warriors ready to heal any if they got too injured.  I popped off more missiles into Gimil’s.

Glittergold was with us, because our blows were telling.  Rattlin and Ord’s was the first to try to fly away, but a few well-placed missiles sent him tumbling to the ground.  Gimil’s looked about to take off when he struck it an immense blow, severing it’s arm.  It, too went down.

Gimil, Rattlin, and Ord had various gouges and claw marks.  Ord and the priest tended to the wounded while I looked at the gargoyles.

“Hey!” I said.  “These gargoyles skins aren’t very wet.”

Gimil frowned thoughtfully. He peered into the hills searching for something.  He grunted and pointed up to a flat area I could barely see.

“Look there!  An old keep!”

We all strained to look, and eventually we spotted it.  We checked around with Ratt’s falcon, and there was an old road leading up to it that intersected with ours.  After a little discussion, we decided to see if there was a dry place up there to rest for the night, since it looked no more than a couple of hours away.

The road wasn’t in bad shape, really, despite being a little overgrown.  There were a few places that Ord and Gimil had to help push the cart up over a few bumps, but all in all, I generally could sit in the back and look down at the road and relax.

The keep was nothing more than a few walls, really.  There was a part of a roof still attached to a corner of the keep, so we parked the wagon nearby and went to search the keep for any signs of habitation.

And a good thing, too!  We first found a kind of “nest” of crumbled rock where the gargoyles stashed some stuff (a magic sword (!) and a purse with 200 gold), and then at the other end of the compound, we found a hole descending into darkness.  Rattlin was all for exploring it, but when both the dwarves and I shook our heads he said we should at least post a guard.  While we were walking away from it, though, three ghouls came charging out to attack!  I screamed, and everyone spun around.

In an eyeblink the three clerics had used their power to corner them against a corner wall where the dwarves used axes and swords to finish them off.  Yuck!

After that we did go and explore that hole, but found nothing much except some scattered remains of ghoul meals – i.e. human parts.  It was foul, and saddened us.

I don’t remember hearing about rotted body parts in any adventure that Todo the Storyteller told.

I’m starting to wonder why I’m adventuring at all.  I’ll talk to you more about it later, Dear Diary, because I’m tired and a little damp and cold.  Since the keep has good shelter, we’re going to make a big warm fire and have a feast.  Well, I’ll have a feast and everyone else will have a drinking contest.  Bole will play his lute and we’ll sing songs.  Treedimple seems very far away._


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## Oghma (Jan 21, 2002)

_Dear Diary (Godsday, Planting 18)

Well, today dawned a bit brighter and the drizzle has stopped, so my mood is a little better.  We packed up and went down the hill back to the main road.  I’m sitting on the back of the wagon, trying to write despite the bumps.

Bole is showing me some fingerings on his lute.  It’s a little big for me, but I’m go to work at it a bit, because it’s fun! Last night I did illusions and tricks that helped his songs along, doing little scenes and images of characters and monsters in the story.  I’ve never seen a dragon, but Ord said mine was very realistic.  At least, after he was done wiping the beer off the front of his tunic and cursing.  There are some dwarf words I don’t really know yet, I wonder if Rattlin knows them?

Ember looks at me strangely when I’m playing the lute. Her head cocks over to the side like she’s not really sure what do think of the sound.  It’s interrupting my practice, but I don’t mind; it makes me laugh.

Made camp tonight in an open spot, so no big fire.  Gimil’s on first watch, as usual, so I’m going to bed.  Tonight is Luna’s new moon, so it won’t be very light out at all.  Mine is the third watch, when it starts to turn light.  G’night!

Dear Diary (Waterday, Planting 19)

The dwarves are into the second barrel of ale - things are getting desperate.  We have about 2 days to go until we reach Loft wick, I hope they can hold out.  I might fill the old barrel with water and make it taste like ale, hmm…

Another day of travel, with nothing but scenery and dropping acorns on Ratt’s head to break up the day.  I think he suspects me, but they were about to fall anyway.  Really. Ember is starting to get into the spirit of it so she wound distract him and then, bop!  Some were going to be a little off target, but I made sure that pretty much every acorn that dropped within a 30 foot radius hit him.  Bop!

I learned a lute tune, too!  I know all the notes to “Oghma’s Ballad”! I just haven’t been able to put them in the right order yet.  Bole says I’m doing well and just need more practice.

Dear Diary (Earthday, Planting 20)

*plink* *plink* *plink* Plinkin’ Posy.  My fingers are sore from practicing, so I’m taking a break.  Bole has been a bit severe with me, since I’ve been playing around and not practicing the way he taught me.  He says if I do as he says, I’ll learn to play the right way.  That means that if I learn to play like Bole, I’ll put a constipated expression on my face and act as if playing the lute is like moving my bowels.  Poo on that! (pun!)  I want to have fun! (rhyme!)

I tried out the water/beer thing and it worked.  I’m not telling em that I served them water for lunch, but it may make a difference later on…

Ember’s asleep, having a little doggy dream. *wurf* *snurfle* *wurf* I wonder if she’s chasing or being chased?

We’re camping near a little lake at the end of a stream.  It’s a little marshy around here, even though we are still in the hills.

Dear Diary, (Freeday, Planting 21)

Ord woke everyone up in the middle of the night.  Ember was growling in the direction of the lake, and her hackles were up.  I woke everyone else, so we were fairly prepared when a horrible smell washed over us.  It smelled like all the bad experiments old Fizzletop Knotbash threw out from the back of his alchemy room.  The dwarves coughed a few times, but I don’t think they were too bothered by it.  The priests were gagging and coughing.  Rattlin’s eyes were watering a bit, like mine, but we were still able to see eight reptilian figures rush us and throw these big javelins at us!  Amazingly, they all missed!

The figures were a sort of burly humanoid and had ridged crests on their heads.  They had huge mouths with pointed teeth.  Some had crude weapons, and some had no weapons and were charging with fang and claw.

I had put armor on Gimil on his watch, and it was still working.  I was sort of hiding under the wagon because I didn’t have any armor on and didn’t want to get spotted.  I picked a likely group of the reptiles in the back and hit them with slumber.  Ord limbered up his axe and charged with Gimil right behind.  Bole blessed us while Rattlin shot an arrow.

Two troglodytes (for that was what they were, I found out later) ran to Gimil and Ord surroundign them and flanking them both.  One trog ran towards Rattlin, who drew his short sword and engaged it.  I tired to put it to sleep, but Rattlin’s resisted, darn it.

Rattlin stabbed his with the point, and I shot two missiles into it for good measure.  ZIP ZIP!

I looked over to Gimil and Ord and saw that the trogs were ripping into them.  Flanked on both sides, fighting back to back, Gimil and Ord were fighting a desperate battle, and the trogs kept hitting them with claws and their crude, saw-toothed swords.

They were all bunched together so I couldn’t separate them out for a good sleep spell.  Ord got a good shot in on one, but Gimil was have a hard time hitting either of the ones he was fighting.

Then I remembered something Felster told me about the sleep spell: it affects the weakest foes first.  I knew Gimil and Ord were stronger, so I threw the sleep spell right into the center of the melee! Fwooooosh!

I knocked out three.  

The three dropped like they were at a meeting of the Grand Gnomish Engineers and Alchemists for the Renewal of Valuable Gnomish Resources.  Dreamland.  

This turned the tide of the battle.  Rattlin was able to finish his, while Ord and Gimil took out the one that remained standing.  Meanwhile, I ran around and finished the ones that I’d put to sleep.  Yuck!  Better them than me, though.  I’ve become quite the little bloodthirsty gnome.

Rattlin rifled through all their packs and I checked their belongings for magical auras, but there was nothing to find except some gold – 140 gold total.

We finished our watches, apprehensive that more were going to be coming back.

We left early and made it to Loftwick this afternoon.  I’m writing this after a nice hot bath while the dwarves and Rattlin clean themselves up.  We’re going to see if we can get a magic weapon in trade for that sword we found with the gargoyles, something that Rattlin Ord, or Gimil can use.  We need a magic weapon to fight those things that need magic to hit them!  I’ll fill you in on our success later tonight.

Dear Diary,

What a fun night!

We decided to see if we could find some adventurer’s to trade our sword for something more useful.  Gimil and Ord thought the best way to do that would be to scour the inns and taverns (go figure) for adventuring groups, and talk to them to see fi they had something for trade.

So that’s what we did!  We went to almost every tavern in Loftwick.  We’d look for a group that looked like us, and watch for a while to see which of the group was the leader.  Then I’d go up to them and start chatting about adventuring.

Now, a lot of folks were a little surprised at first, because I look young, but after a bit we were getting along just fine.  Then I’d make my pitch.

“As you adventure, you tend to find items that no one in the group can use, but that you don’t want to sell to some merchant. Some other adventurer will have to buy it from the merchant at the merchant’s price, and we all lose.  We have a sword we are looking to trade for another weapon or something equivalent.  Do you have anything?”

Then we’d show and tell.  We had some folks try to fool us with non-magical stuff, so we walked out on them.  “It was just a joke!” didn’t cut it with me.  Phooey.

We had some folks offer items which we didn’t need or weren’t a fair trade.  It was nice to have Ord and Gimil there, because if you think one dwarf glowering at you is bad, two is much worse.  

Late in the evening, though, we met this group that was really fun and we just hung out with them.  

We came into a tavern named the Laughing Griffon.  It was full of people, mostly caravan guard-types, who were in town between trips.  A lot of humans, but there was the occasional group of non-humans.  The only open booth was near a group with an elf, a gnome (yay!), a dwarf, and a half elf.

We sat down next to them and ordered (what else?) two pitchers of ale.  One of these days I’m going to have to introduce the dwarves to some other liquids.  

We were sitting there just sort of looking over everything and relaxing.  The gnome, who’s name was Fimble, came over and introduced himself to me.  We were chatting about this and that, like what it’s like to have dwarves as friends and where we were from, when the elf from the group came over and introduced himself to us, too.

Eralild was a bard, and a fine one, too. He had a lute and I annoyed him into letting me play it.

I realized how wonderful the lute was immediately after I touched it.  I almost gave it back to him, but I’d already put myself in an awkward position, so I told him I only knew one song, but I knew all the notes and I could get them in the right order and everything! I think he had a hard time not laughing, but he was kind and asked me to play it.

Because I was in the booth I had to get a chair from another table, but the dwarf of that group had come over (Dworeth was his name) and he got one that had no occupant.  I checked the tuning, which was perfect, and started playing “Oghma’s ballad”.  

I played it perfectly!  I was a little surprised when the elf started to sing, but he was encouraging so I just kept at it, getting every note in order and even in the right rhythm, until I finished it.  There was a little applause from the tables around us, and Eralild was complimentary.  He was very nice.  I gave him his lute right back because I didn’t want to drop it or anything.

The half elf of the group, Taewyr, came over and he and Dworeth pulled a table up to the booth so we were all sitting around and chatting.  Eralild and Fimble did a show with illusions and singing and stories that was really fun!

We had the best time!  Fimble kept trying to chat me up, but Rattlin, Ord and Gimil kept interrupting him (I think it was on purpose).  Eventually Fimble got too drunk to care anyway and giggled while I turned his drink different colors and flavors.  The dwarves were arguing with Eralild about whether dwarven drinking songs counted as “music” and Eralild was really funny about putting it down.  “I guess you can set bodily effluents to a melody, but why would you want to?” had me rolling.

It’s funny, after all that work trying to find a magic item for trade, they wound up having a battleaxe that Ord could use, and we traded them our sword.  As simple as that!

Well, it’s late, the dwarves are snoring and Rattlin is counting his change (he’s convinced that Fimble was more than just an illusionist), so I’m going to bed!  G’night, Diary!_


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## Oghma (Jan 21, 2002)

_Dear Diary, (Starday, Planting 22)

Ah-choo!  I’ve got a cold.  I think that rainy day when we stayed at the keep gave me the sniffles.  Ord has some sort of herb stuff he says will help, but all it seems to do is make my head feel stuffier.

I sat next to Ord on the wagon for most of the day, wrapped in a blanket.  He talked a lot, because I think he felt sorry for me.  Normally it’s the other way around, me chattering away and Ord grunting a couple of times.  I just sniffled instead of grunted.

Ord is from this dwarf enclave in the mountains to the very southwest of the Yeomanry, somewhere in the Crystalmists.  He said it was a really old community that has been trading with humans for years.

He kind of went on about that, that the enclave was really set in it’s ways and even timid.  Yeah, timid dwarves!  He became a priest of Clangeddin, and then realized that none of the priests in his temple had fought a war in years.  He called them a couple of choice names that I’ll have to try to remember.

Ord decided to leave to actually put the word of Clangeddin out, and to better serve him.  He thinks that battle is the place of worship for all Dwarves, and he’s glad he’s with a group that has no fear of battle.

I thought about that a little bit.  I never saw myself as having no fear of battle, but here I am, tossing magic around, helping my friends fight all sorts of weird things.  I’d like to see Bonnie Thimbleprick try to sass me now!  Silly tailor’s daughter!  Wait, I’m a cobbler’s daughter. Hmmm.

My magic is getting stronger, too.  It looks like you can’t stay home and learn much about magic except maybe book stuff.  Felster said that the fey power that I have in my blood probably requires strong acts of will to activate it.  I guess being in a battle sharpens my will, making it easier to use the magic.  I need to remember to ask more questions about great-great-grandma Bonicka when I get home.  If I get home.

We camped about a day’s travel outside of Loftwick.  There are some small farming communities in the area, but we just found a grove we could camp in and stayed there.  I slept under the wagon.

Dear Diary, (Sunday, Planting 23)

Today my cold was a little better, but those herbs Ord gave me! Yuck!  Give me gnome concoctions any day over this bitter dwarven medicine.  No wonder they have so much hair on their chins, this stuff would curl the hair on an egg!  No hair on an egg? That’s my POINT!

Once I was able to keep it down, though, it worked well, and my head was much clearer than yesterday.  

Not much happened today, we waved to a few farmers working in the fields as we gradually headed towards less settled areas.  Ember had fun chasing my dancing lights though, trying to bite them.  It was pretty fun once she had bitten a couple and knew they wouldn’t hurt her.  

Bole showed me some “chords” today.  “Chords” are when you play a bunch of notes at the same time, I think.

It’s less damp under the wagon, I think I’ll sleep there again.

Dear Diary, (Moonday, Planting 24)

Lunchtime.  Made my beef jerky taste like chicken soup.  I think it helped.

Not as sniffly today, so I was able to avoid Ord’s concoctions.  I sat in the back, watching where we had gone.  Nice farmers farming their cozy holdings.  We’re about 10 days from Longspear, and two days out of Loftwick.  I think I’m going to see what colors I can change Ember to make her pretty.  (Not that she’s not pretty already, I’m just bored, and she’s black and white.  For now!)

I should have known something would happen if I got bored!  It seems that adventuring is hours of boredom followed by a few seconds of sheer terror.

Gimil was in front, Rattlin having taken his turn as our forward scout and switched with Gimil.  Rattlin was actually driving the wagon, because Ord wanted to walk a while to stretch his legs.

Suddenly, this HUGE BUG rears up out of the ground and bites Gimil and grabs him!  Gimil almost dropped his sword, the horses started acting up, and Ord raced forward with an oath.

This bug was about ten feet tall with a bunch sharp-clawed legs. It had huge pincers that were big enough to easily grab Gimil by the waist.

I don’t think it thought there was more than Gimil, because he was pretty far ahead of the wagon.  It looked like it wanted to drag Gimil back down the hole it came from!

Well, Gimil wasn’t having any of that!  With a roar, he tore his way out of the pincers!  Bole cast a bless on us, and Rattlin threw the reins to a startled Ferdal, saying “Deal with it!” and hopping off, drawing out his new short sword.

Meanwhile, I popped off a couple of missiles and got one of our healing portions ready as I ran up to help.

Gimil drew his sword and swung at the beast, but missed off it’s hard armor-like skin.  It took another bite out of Gimil, but Gimil was able to avoid letting it grab him.  Ord  kept running up to it, as did Rattlin.

I shot more missiles and kept running.  One of these days I’ll have other things to do which are useful in battle, but it’s clear that in this battle, I needed to hurt it, to distract it.  I wasn’t about to accidentally put Gimil to sleep!

Ord reached it and took a swing at it with his axe, chipping it a bit.  Rattlin began to work his way around behind the thing, and I realized that Gimil was armorless!

I don’t know what I was thinking, shooting off the missiles, but I cast my armor spell and ran to touch Gimil.  The armor surrounded him and deflected another attack from the bug.  Then it looked at me.

Oops. Gimil had armor, I didn’t.  I’m sure that at this point the was looking at gnome as a bit tastier and not quite as hard to swallow as a dwarf.  Ord had taken another swing at it and there was quite a thunk as his axe cracked it’s skin.

It reared back to take a lunge at me, when suddenly a small sword point stuck out through it’s eyes and it toppled over, dead.

“I killed it, I killed it!” Ratt was dancing up and down, cheering and waving his sword about.  Ord and Gimil just looked at each other, panting.  Ord had hit with a huge blow, my missiles and charred holes into it, and Rattlin had hit it just as it was about to go down.  The dwarves looked furious, and Rattlin saw that and slowed down his victory dance.

“What?”  Rattlin said.  “I killed it, I did! I hit it and it died!”

Gimil looked at Ord and his lips twitched a bit.  “You know, these bugs usually have lairs.  The tunnels they make are kind of small, though.”

Ord nodded with mock gravity.  “Sure enough, they do.  We dwarves could never fit down there, though.  It requires someone really small…”

Ratt looked at Ord and Gimil, back and forth, trying to see if they were serious.  “Guys?”

Ord and Gimil just pointed at the hole the ankheg (for that is what it was) came from.  “Down you go, boy.”

I lit a stick with a light spell.  “Here, Rattlin, you can carry this!”  I grinned.

Ratt’s face fell.  “Ok, I guess I can go…”

Ord said “There may be some loot at the end of the tunnel.  Of course, there may be quite a few turns and intersections…”

I giggled and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll come with you, you big chicken.”

We went down the tunnel, and there were a couple of turns, but we eventually found its nest.  There was quite a lot of dried and rotting clothing, like it had eaten fairly well over time.  There were also some old leather pouches, with 5o (!) platinum, some with gold and silver too, some small gems, and a giant axe.

Ord and Gimil recognized the axe as a dwarven waraxe and told us about it, but I’ll tell you, I can’t imagine anyone wielding that one handed.  It was immense!  It did make me wonder if the ankheg had developed a taste for dwarves though…

When we got back, Ord had healed Gimil and they had gotten the horses calmed down, so we moved the bug’s body off the road and plugged the hole a bit, and traveled on until night fell and we found a camp spot.

We were in a pretty good mood, having survived the ankheg and gotten some treasure with it.  Bole sang some more songs and we had a pretty nice fire.  Ember and Millyeneum played around and we put together a hot meal.

I didn’t even realize that my cold was gone!

Dear Diary, (Godsday, Planting 25)

This morning Ord did a short service for Clangeddin to recognize Godsday.  It involved a list of battles that dwarves won and some rituals involving an axe.

I just think that waraxe we found made him feel like he’d been remiss in his religious duties.  I wonder if we can look forward to these every Godsday…

Boring day.  I mostly re-read you, diary to fix the dates and stuff.  Ember played a bit with Rattlin, but all in all, we just traveled.  We made camp near a stream._


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## Oghma (Jan 21, 2002)

_Dear Diary (Waterday, Planting 26)
Ho hum.  I’m not even having fun annoying Gimil.  I’m learning what I can on the lute, but I think I’m getting on Bole’s nerves.

Ord and Gimil had a practice bout to keep their hand in.  Gimil won, but Ord didn’t use any magic.  All I know is that I wouldn’t want to face either in hand to hand combat.  They are both strong, and can fight forever.  We camped near a copse of woods.  We’re on the valley floor now, and tomorrow we’ll probably be heading up towards Longspear.  Only six more days until a nice hot bath!

Dear Diary (Earthday, Planting 27)

Went through some hills today.  Ord talked today about what happened when he left his delve.

It seems he was a little bit too interested in battle for the first mercenary group he joined.  They accused him of putting them in situations where they had to fight too often.  During practice bouts, he practice with a ferocity and focus which scared them a little bit.


We were having lunch by the side of the road when Gimil heard a noise off in the direction we had been heading. We all dropped our food and Gimil ran down the road to see what it was.  Ord got his bow and trotted down to follow Gimil, and Rattlin found some cover in the trees and moved along the tree line to meet it.  Ratt sent Millyeneum up to scout.

Already crossing the road and heading toward us was an ogre and four or five hobgoblins.

Gimil was in the lead, and drew his sword anticipating the charge of the ogre.  Gimil bellowed a challenge in Giantish, I think, but I didn’t understand it.  A few of the hobgoblins threw javelins at Gimil, and one hit him a glancing blow on the shoulder.


I ran up and sent some missiles into the ogre.  Rattlin readied his bow and took a shot at one of the hobgoblins.

I turned to look at Ord and saw the most astonishing sight of my life.  I saw Ord, a dwarf, running away from the battle and hiding behind a tree like an elf, taking a shot with a his bow.

“When did Ord turn into an elf?” I thought.  There he was, peeking behind the tree and re-stringing an arrow.

“Ord!” I shouted, “Get over there and help Gimil!”

Meanwhile, the ogre had reached Gimil and had taken a powerful swing at him and missed.  I sent two more missiles into the ogre and began to back away, since the hobgoblins were getting close.  

Then I stopped, because I realized that Gimil was going to be overwhelmed by the hobgoblins too!  I ran forward to stand with him and help out.  “Look at me! I’m a dwarf warrior,” I yelled and swung my staff at a hobgoblin, missing.

The priests came running up to help take one of the hobgoblins.  Rattlin pierced one of  hobgoblins with an arrow and Ord, running up from the tree, finished it off with another well-placed arrow as he dropped his bow and ran to help Gimil.

Hobgoblins are huge!  Really big.  One in front of me took a swing at me and I almost dropped flat on the ground to avoid it.  Gimil got whacked hard be the ogre’s club, and a second hobgoblin took a swing at me with his axe and hit my arm!

Ouch.  I’m not supposed to be up here fighting, I realized.  I’m not sure what got into me, but there I was, toe-to-toe with two hobgoblins and an Ogre.  Luckily, the ogre just took a sword swing in the side from Gimil, and we fighting for his life.  Ord came up and hit the hobgoblin on my right so hard that the hobgoblin dropped like Bonnie Thimbleprick’s ‘s face after she realized that Gobby Sticklight wasn’t going to ask her to the Treedimple Starnight dance, and was going to ask ME.  Hah!

I backed away and let the melee combat be done by the experts.  I sent a couple more missiles into the ogre. 

The priests and Rattlin had the last hobgoblin surrounded, and Ord and Gimil were fighting the remaining hobgoblin and the ogre.  Within a few seconds it was all over.


Dear Diary, (Freeday, Planting 28)

Another dull day. It drizzled a bit, but we just kept going, since it really didn’t get to an actual rain. We spent a good part of the day trying not to give Ord a hard time, but it was hard. Ember kept sniffing up ahead, and then running to hide behind a tree. Everyone noticed except Ord. Ember’s a smart dog!

Dear Diary, (Starday, Flocktime 1) (Beory’s Day)

Spent most of the day traveling, and wound up at the tail end of the Beory day celebrations in a village outside Longspear. We were so tired that we just went into the inn and went to bed.

Dear Diary, (Sunday, Flocktime 2)

At last! We made it to Longspear late this morning. We said goodbye to the priests and found an inn to rest in. I went around with Ord and our wagon and sold all the stuff we’d gotten as loot on the trip (except the really good stuff). Ord and I got back around dinnertime, where everyone had a huge dinner and about ten pitchers of ale.

But that’s not the interesting part.

We were into about our fourth pitcher when a dark-robed old man walked over to Rattlin and said: “Rattlin Shadowlurk, do you remember me?”

Rattlin looked up and said, disbelievingly, “Wizard Cradomar? Is that you?”

“One and the same, Rattlin! It has been quite a few years!” the old man said. “But I’m not here with good news. Your father contacted me to see if I could find you. He’s dying.”

Rattlin’s face described a steady, slow fall. He had been joyous in his celebration of our adventures, and pleased, though confused, to see Cradomar. With the news of his father his face just got more and more sad.

I said, “How is he? Will it be long? Can we get there somehow?”

Cradomar looked over to me.

“Oh! Hello, I’m Posy Feytickle, a friend of Rattlin’s.” I held up a hand for him to shake, and he bowed and kissed it! Such excellent manners for a human! 

“Enchanted, my dear. Rattlin has excellent taste in companions.”

What a smoothie! I hope he doesn’t think Rattlin and I are a couple or something! “Would you like to join us at our table? We’ve been celebrating, a bit, but I think you should meet Rattlin’s other companions.”

I performed the introductions while we found a chair for Cradomar.

Cradomar explained, “Rattlin’s father and I converse frequently through magical means. He was a companion of my adventuring days. He’s asked me to keep an eye out for you, Rattlin since he knew you were in the area. When we last spoke, he was not doing well, and he’s asked me to transport you over to him. You can bring your friends if you wish.”

Rattlin nodded, still a bit stunned.

“How will we travel?” I asked, wondering what ‘transport’ meant.

Cradomar looked at us. ‘At first I thought I’d just teleport him straight there, but with this group I think I’ll have to make a portal to a hillside spot near Verbobonc. It would probably be easiest.”

Teleport! Portal! Cradomar must be very, very powerful! Old Felster couldn’t even teleport, Glittergold bless his crotchety self. He also seems to have a sense of humor, an excellent quality, rare in dwarves, but occasionally present in the best humans.

Cradomar then did what I thought was a very nice thing. He told us of his adventures with Rattlin’s father. He told us about fighting a dragon(!) though he was quick to point out that this was not an old or large one. Rattlin’s father sounded very heroic in many of the stories, and I think it was very kind of Cradomar to let Rattlin hear good things of his father. Rattlin has mentioned before that his dad wasn’t around much, and that he didn’t get to see him very often. It must have been nice to find out your father was a brave adventurer, after all, even though you didn’t get to know him well. I wonder if Rattlin got his happy-go-lucky wanderlust from his father.

Cradomar’s tales were well told, and funny, and occasionally he’d do illusions (which were very well crafted). We listened raptly until almost dawn, when the old wizard finally called an end to it. Cradomar said that he was going to head home and rest for the portal spell, and that we were to meet him outside the town in the late afternoon on top of a hill to the north.

I’ve come up from the common room to fill you in, Dear Diary, but now I’m tired, and am going to sleep. Tomorrow, Verbobonc! I've heard there are a LOT of gnomes there._


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## Oghma (Jan 21, 2002)

_Dear Diary (Moonday, Flocktime 3)

Verbobonc!  I’m sitting in a cozy hobbit home, the air rich with the smell of their hobbit weed, full of good food and good wine.  Rattlin’s mother sure knows how to feed her guests!

We got up (well, *I* got up) early today, since I knew I had to sell all of our stuff we had gotten from the trip to Longspear.  I made the rounds of the money-changers, armorers and weapon-smiths, getting prices, haggling and selling or trading everything.  Our take per person, what with the gems and platinum we had gotten, plus equipment, is a staggering five hundred and thirteen gold pieces!  I had to go wake up gimil to come with me for the money-changers.  He was grumpy when he got up, but once I explained how much I was going to be carrying around, he perked up. (As much as a dwarf could perk up, I suppose.  He just had a pause in his grumbling.)

He and I went to re-stock the wagon with supplies, and I bought a lute!  It’s very nice, with mother of pearl inlays.  The luthier said he copied the design from an elvish-made lute, and while it’s not elvish quality, Bole said it was very good.  I have a little case for it, too and some extra strings.

Oh, I forgot to mention!  This morning, during my spell practices, I discovered a new channel that was not open to me yesterday!  I can make things invisible!  People too!  If I cast it on myself and Ember is nearby, I can turn her invisible at the same time!  Rattlin got very excited when he found that out.  I think it will be really useful!

We had a big lunch, then we drove the wagon out to the hill Cradomar had told us was the meeting point.

When we got there, Cradomar had made a circle of glittering golden powder he said was amber dust.  He didn’t make a ring, he filled the circle in with the dust.  It must have cost a fortune, because the ring was ten feet in diameter.  Cradomar must be the most powerful person I have ever met.  Someday, I might be like him!

He cast the spell (which took a good while) and then told us to get into the wagon and drive it into the circle.  He got into the wagon next to me and gave a grin.  

“This is the fun part about magic!” he said and with a blink, we were in Verbobonc!  Just like that!

We came out in a small clearing on a hill overlooking the Velverdyva River plain and the city of Verbobonc.  It was a sunny day, and there was no one around.  Cradomar explained that he had marked this clearing years ago as a good place to enter Verbobonc undetected, and that it had served him well.  I think I’m going to start marking spots like that in case my gifts allow me to move from spot to spot like Cradomar.

We drove down the hill onto the road called the Low Road and travelled into the city.

Verbobonc is an amazing place!  There is a lot of gnomish architectural influence, and I know only a little of the city’s history, but I hthink it was founded by gnomes.  Cradomar says that there is a sizable amount of gnomes in Verbobonc and that Rattlin’s family lives in that area.  I never knew that!

We got into town and the guards treated Cradomar with a certain amount of deference.  He was pleasant to them, but you could tell the respect they have for him in the way they answered his questions and anticipated his needs.  We had our way quielty cleared for us to Rattlin’s house by a couple of guards moving through traffic.

Rattlin’s house is charming!  It’s as close as an above-ground home can be to a hole in a hill.  There are a lot of round windows and doors, and it sort of burrows it’s way into the city block, though it’s not muchmore than about eight or ten rooms.  Rattlin’s mother, Elora, welcomed us in right away and sent a boy to take care of stabling our mules and wagon.  We sat in the parlor while Rattlin and Cradomar went right back to see his father.

It was a little bit awkward at first, but Elora came back right away with two pitchers of ale and some bread and cheese.  She must be used to dwarves!  Ord and Gimil took out these mugs they had had made in Longspear to drink from, and we spent a peaceful time exchanging pleasantries with Elora.  Well, I exchanged pleasantries, the dwarves drank ale and grunted.

I could tell that Elora was sad, though.  She was very well mannered, and chattered away, but I saw she was covering up strong emotion.  I asked her if she had a garden, and she smiled and offered to show it to me ( I know hobbits like fresh vegetables, and I had a hunch that Elora wasn’t going to unburden herself in front of Gimil and Ord.)  Ord is not the kind of priest you can depend n to console you, though he’s first rate when it comes to stirring and motivation pre-battle harangues.

Elora ushered me out into a charming garden, well tended but cozy.  She had a lot of flowering bushes which attracted butterflies, so the garden was full of life and light.  I was delighted with it, and told her so.

Then I looked at her seriously and said, “How bad is it?”

With an effort, she said, “He’s dying, and soon.  It’s a poison from an old wound that no cleric can heal, something from the dark places he’s been to.”  Her face was creased with sadness, and I had the sense of a heavy burden carried far too long.

“Has he been weakened for along time?”

“No, it comes and goes, and each time it comes it’s worse.  At first, it was a little fatigue at the end of the day.  He’s always been very active, as you can probably tell from Rattlin.

“Well, if Rattlin is any comparison, your husband must have been bouncing off the walls in his youth,” I said with a smile.

Elora smiled back with a certain sadness, “Yes, he had a lot of energy.  But now, the fatigue crushes him.  Some days he can leave the house and go run errands and visit friends, but when he gets home he’s exhausted.  Most days, though, he has to use all his will to get from the bedroom to the kitchen.  He’ll sit in the kitchen all morning to ‘keep me company’, but I know it’s because he doesn’t have the energy to leave his chair.”

 Her gentle, pleasant face crumpled and she went on, her voice catching, “It’s just so hard to see him like this, and see him trying to be brave about it.  He jokes and teases like before, but sometimes he can’t hide his frustration and he’s very hard to be around!”

I opened my arms and she stepped into them, putting her head on my shoulder.  I held her there for a while as she softly, yet still genteelly cried.  Rattlin's mother was a woman of steel, but she had carried so much so long.  For a long time there was nothing to say.

I said, “You would be very proud of your son, I think.  He has proven to be a solid companion, and talented, too.  I am very glad he’s part of our group.”

That seemed to change the subject the right way, and she recovered herself enogh to chat about Rattlin’s adventures since she’d last seen him.  I didn’t know this, but she said that she and Rattlin’s father had kept an eye on Rattlin through Cradomar, so they knew a bit about what he had been up to, and how he got all the way down to the Yeomanry.  I swore not to tell him, as I think he’d be upset.

We went back inside, and Rattlin and Cradomar had re-filled the pitchers and were sitting with Gimil and Ord at the kitchen table.  Rattlin and his mother went off to talk a bit, and I spent a pleasant time talking with Cradomar about magic, and he gave me some tips about ways to use some of my spells.  I didn’t know that the armor spell helped defend against the touch of spectres and wraiths!

Elora served us dinner, and took a tray into the bedroom for Rattlin’s dad.  I went in with her to carry to ale pitcher, and he flirted with me like all old men do, but in a nice way.  He looked very drawn out, though, and I left after a few minutes.

I’m tired myself, now.  I’ve traveled halfway across the Flanaess, only to wind up scrubbing dishes at the end of a large hobbit meal.

Dear Diary, (Godsay, Flocktime 4)

Today was a day of comfort, for myself at least.  I got up early with Elora and helped her prepare food for the day.  We talked about home-y things, like my mother’s cooking, how we stored oils, what our favorite dishes were, and such things.  If you ever get a chance to talk with a halfling mother about food, take advantage of it!  They know more than any other race about the home comforts of food.

After breakfast I helped around the house with things that Elora hadn’t had the time to do.  Only a few days ago I was battling hobgoblins anddodging swings of an ogre’s club, and now I’m grubbing around the garden, battling weeds and dodging flies.  I only cheated a little bit with magic, but it was very satisfying to help and at the same time do something to make a home more pleasant.  Elora loved how I was able to use magic to make things spotless, though.  If I every learn to craft magical items, I’ll send her a magic broom which cleans the house!  As it was, I did give her the recipe for my mother’s special scrub-all cleanser, a gnomish family recipe.

Rattlin’s dad, whose name is Raddo, (Raddo and Rattlin? Hmmm…) was able to get up and come into the kitchen today, and did he have a lot of stories!  He talked most of the morning about his adventures, and about Elora, and asked me about Rattlin.  I gave him a full report (as he termed it), and he was really proud.  Rattlin was in and out, hooking up with friends and runing errands for his mother.  Ord and Gimil went out with him, but went searching for some “real dwarf metal”, possibly to trade with that magic dwarven waraxe we found.
One of Raddo’s buddies came visiting in the afternoon, a human warrior who had gone a bit to seed.  You could tell that he must have been mighty at some point, but I’m sure he hasn’t seen his feet in years.  He was fun, and had brought this greenish elven wine which was Raddo’s favorite.  The two of them had a good tim ein the kitchen, trading stories and yelling affectionately at each other’s foibles.

Elora opened up the large dining room to have a sort of party for Rattlin’s return.  Some other women came to help in the afternoon and we were cooking and cleaning and washing all day long after that.  Luckily, I was able to do a lot of work with spells for cleaning and cooling things.  Elora has a knock for getting people together, I could tell.

The evening was a lot of fun, with Raddo’s adventuring buddies, family, and some local friends.  Everyone got pleasantly drunk, argued just enough to make it fun, and we put Raddo to bed as Luna’s full radiance climbed to the top of the night sky.  The party wound down after that, with goodbyes being called and promises to Elora to help clean up tomorrow.  I think I’ll do what I can tonight to make work easier, but I’ll have to use up all my more powerful spells.  I’m going to bed myself after that, so I’ll see you tomorrow, Dear Diary.

I like Raddo, and can see a lot of him in Rattlin.

Dear Diary (Waterday, Flocktime 5)

Raddo died in the night.  I feel awful.  I barely got to know him.  

I’ve taken over the clean up from last night, as Elora is just sitting out in the garden and crying.  Friends from last night have come and gone, offering their sympathies and help.  I rounded up a couple to put last night’s things away, but they left a while ago.

I’ve whipped up some things so that people can nibble on food if they wish, but it’s a somber household. Even Gimil and Ord look sad.

Is this what it will be like when I finish my career?  Will I be able to die with friends and family, or will I wind up a smudge on a giant’s club, my purple robe used for a rag to wash ogre dishes?  Raddo was an adventurer for most of his life-time.  Will I tire sooner than he?

One thing is for sure:  I’m going to make sure that the people around me are good people.  I don’t want anyone who will make me unhappy I’m with them.  I want friends, people I can trust, that I know will take the same risks for me that I take for them.

I think I’m very lucky to have Ord, Gimil, and Rattlin as companions.  They are keepers, even though I can’t stand the dwarvish sense of humor at times, and that Rattlin is annoying.  I’m sure they put up with my own little things, (though I can’t imagine what they might be!) and I know they would do everything they could to help me.

Elora has come in to talk, so I’ll put you down for a while. 

What a woman.  She’s cooking for the funeral tomorrow.  I’m helping. I’ve even got Gimil, Rattlin, and Ord to help, and I’ve got my hands full!  Write more later._


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## Oghma (Jan 22, 2002)

_Dear Diary, (Earthday, Flocktime 6)

Well, hobbit funerals are very sad.  Everyone got up and told stories about Raddo and what a great hobbit and all-around excellent fellow he was.   Cradomar had a long speech that had many of the hobbits in tears, and he mentioned Rattlin in such glowing terms that I thought Rattlin’s ears were more red than the beets in Old Filber’s Garden – which win prizes in every fair in Treedimple and all the surrounding areas.

We were able to get some adventuring plans at the funeral, which was odd, but there was a lot of talks of bandits along the Low Road that went to a village named Hommlet.  It goes into the Kron Hills and then east, away from the gnome valley inside the hills and towards the Gnarley Forest.  The people at the funeral said that the humans were pretty upset by it, because the Low Road was being re-opened for trade.  We got some details from the hobbits about the whereabouts of the bandits, but we tried to be discreet about it.  It was, after all, a funeral.

The party afterwards was a very cheery affair, with everyone having fun and celebrating Raddo’s life and life in general.  I went to bed early because I ached from all the preparations, but I know that Rattlin, Ord, and Gimil were drinking it up most of the night.

After I got up, I started looking over our supplies to check what we had and what we needed.  We were low on ale (again!) and needed more oil for our lanterns.  Our mules looked well fed and taken care of, and I bought some more feed for them.  I went over to the market for fresh food and some smoked meat and fish, and arranged to have them delivered to Rattlin’s house.

When I got back the guys were up, and we had a snack (second breakfast!) and talked about what we were going to do.  Gimil and Ord wanted to go shop for a magic greatsword for Gimil and maybe some nice armor.  Rattlin wanted to tag along with them (I guess he’s tired of all the sorrow.  Rattlin is too cheerful to stay sad long.)  I wanted to go shopping for some magic.  I got a little bit of a bonus because Ord and Gimil paid me back what they owed me from our other loot.  Gimil and Ord took the magical waraxe with them for a possible trade and we all split up to shop.

Verbobonc is a fun place for a gnome, because so much of it feels like home.  Of course, there is always the gnome section of town (Verboektown), which is like the marketplace in Treedimple, only *all the time*.  Lots of close packed houses, the smell of gnome cooking, the occasional acrid whiff of someone’s backyard alchemy lab, the look and feel of gnomish architecture, and the happy chattering of gnomish children helped make me feel at home.

I wanted to relax in that atmosphere, so I went to a little tavern called the Brass Rail and sat outside and watched gnomes being gnomes.  In a city, it’s a little different – you can’t play just anywhere and there is a lot less green, but city gnomes seem to have as many pets as gnomes in the hills.  I saw a lot of little gnome boys and girls wit their birth pets, and I saw some boys practicing Dizzyboff with their friends.  They had a practice table that some of them were spinning, and two of them took turns with the padded Dizzyboff sticks.  One was pretty good, and kept his balance and was able to even land a few blows and block a few while spinning on the table.  

After that, I went searching for a few things.  I was directed to the Silver Consortium (the mages guild) to buy a wand of magic missiles.  I wanted to have something around in case I ran out of spells.  After a lot of haggling, I got a medium power wand that shot two missiles at the same time for a little over two thousand gold.  I think the wizard knew I was from out of town, but thought he might offend some in-town relatives of mine if he padded his price any more.  It is fully charged.

Two thousand gold is a lot of money, but I had it, and then some.  I went to a gemcutters to buy some amethysts (You know how I like purple!) and he had a next round-cut set of ten that I bought with my remaining gold and platinum.  I assured him of some more business from Gimil, Ord, and Rattlin, so we both left happy.

I shopped for clothes the rest of the afternoon, and had a great time.  In the first shop I went to, called Clotho’s, I hit it off really well with one of the girls who turned out to be Clotho’s daughter! I offered to pay her to come around with me to the shops because she had such great taste in clothes, and we had a good old time going from shop to shop and having a glass of wine while the shop-keepers fell over themselves getting nice clothes out for me.  I bought six outfits at one for Maribelle (Clotho’s daughter) because it looked really cute on her, then went back home where all the things I had ordered were piling up in the entryway.

It was a nice change from the funeral and sadness, Dear Diary, and Ember had a great time getting petted by all the gnome children.  She got so many treats I’ll have to roll her onto the wagon!

When I got back, Gimil, Ord and Rattlin were showing off their new weapons and stuff, and it made me itch to get back in action.  We’re leaving tomorrow at first light, and maybe Gimil will get a chance to use his magic greatsword, and hopefully Ord won’t have to use his new wand of healing.

Dear Diary (Freeday, Flocktime 7)

We are on the eve of Harnekiah, the dwarven “cleansing of the mountains”, when dwarves all get their gear up and go hunting humanoids.  Ord says that it is a good omen that we are starting out on our next adventure at this time.  I hope so! So far it’s been a lot of fun.

We set out in our fully stocked wagon, waving good-bye to the hobbits we had met.  It was nice to get a chance to meet Raddo before he died.  I hope we’ll see Elora again sometime.  She is someone my mother would really like.

We headed up the valley along the part of the Low Road which borders the river called Nigb’s Run south towards the Kron hills.  It’s nice to be outside the city again.  We got about halfway to the next town, a village named Merboek (it must have a lot of gnomes, with a name like that!)

Dear Diary (Starday, Flocktime 8, First Day of Harnekiah)

I didn’t know Harnekiah lasts a *week*.  Can you imagine, the mountains ringing with the battle cries of crazed dwarves, their stubby legs thundering up and down the slopes?  I would plan to be away from any mountains during this time, whether or not I’m a humanoid.  Eep.

Ord did this ritual he called the “Battle Cry of Clangeddin” he says is done during every Harnekiah.  It involved blessing all our weapons (even my staff!) and intoning certain ritual words in Dwarvish.  “We shaaaall scour the hiiiills”  “Orcs shaaaaall taste our steeeeel” and other such dwarfisms were uttered by Ord, Gimil, Rattlin, and yes, myself.  Ember was rolling around laughing behind the wagon, but I was able to be serious.  For a while.  Then I said, “Why is an elf leading this ritual?” 

Ord can be pretty quick when he needs to be!  My butt still stings!  I guess that was disrespectful, but Ord needs to be taken down a peg or two.  When he catches Rattlin, I wonder if he’ll get swatted on the butt or on his little hobbit head, because Rattlin laughed out loud when I said that. 

Gimil was pretty angry with me, too.  He probably hasn’t celebrated a Harnekiah since before his village was slaughtered, and this was important for him.  I felt bad after I realized that, and joined in the later chanting with a most un-gnomish gusto.  “My Blaaaaaade shall be quenched in their bloooood!”

We then ambled through the hills, sometimes seeing the river and river traffic, sometimes seeing other merchant groups heading towards Verbobonc moving quickly.   We asked them if they had any news, and they told tales of noises in the night and stealthy footfalls.  One of the caravan guards in a merchant group was a dwarf, and he warned Ord under his breath that there may be goblinoids about.  He said he smelled them.

We passed through Merboek at about four in the afternoon, and pressed on.

We camped without mishap.  G’night, Diary!

Dear Diary (Sunday, Flocktime 9, Second day of Harnekiah)

“We shaaaalll hunt them in their hoooooooles!”  Happy Harnekiah to you, too, Dear Diary.

Besides the exciting morning ritual, it was a pretty dull day.  Ember ran around sniffing at things all day, and she said the she smelled many different scents, including humans, gnomes, elves(!) and goblinoids.  She didn’t have a really good sense of the goblinoids or I’d have brought it up to the group, because Gimil and Ord are all ready for action.

Gnight, Diary.

Dear Diary (Moonday, Flocktime 10, Third (yes, THIRD) day of Harnekiah)

Ow.  I’m hurt.  It’s been an exciting day, though, and I’ve used almost all my spells.  Ord has used all his spells too.  We’ve camped for the night in a forested area of the hills after a long chase and a few battles.

After our Harnekiah noise, we started down the road with Gimil in front.  After about an hour, as the road went into a forested area, Gimil came back to the group barely able to contain his excitement.  I know this because I’ve been around him a lot, but anyone else wouldn’t have noticed.  For him, joyous excitement is a tiny, tiny widening of his eyes, and a tone of voice just a little bit higher than his usual rumble.  I’ve been noticing this stuff more since I got Ember.

He’d seen five bugbears camped in a circle around the road about 50 yards after it entered the forest.  He’d spotted the backside of the first one as he crept up the road, and waited until he’s spotted all of them.  He sketched out how there were two on once side of the road, and three on the other.

We planned that we would sneak up on them, myself hanging back, and when Ord, Gimil, and Rattlin took their first arrow shots on one of the three, I would try to sleep the two on the other side of the road.  

We hid the wagon and mules and left Ember to guard them.  I cast mage armor on myself and Gimil, made Rattlin, Ord and Gimil invisible and we sneaked through the forest.

Gimil, Ord and Rattlin, all went ahead once we’d spotted all of them.  The guys aimed at the nearest bugbear, and shot it dead just as I began my spell.  Fwoosh! I slept the two on the far side with one spell!

The other two charged Gimil and Ord. The dwarves shot another round of arrows, damaging the next one, then dropped their bows and readied their weapons.  The second dropped from a tremendous hit from Ord, and sword, axe, and arrow quickly dispatched the third one. 

Gimil went across the road and slew the other two sleeping ones, and dragged their bodies over to the first three.  We looted them, finding a magical amulet on one, a potion, and some gold.

Ord did some ritual stuff, and Harnekiah had officially began.  

Gimil looked around for tracks, and found they led of deeper into the forest.  We fetched the wagon and found that shortly after the tracks left the group, they went to a trail that it looked like the bugbears had made which we were able to follow in the wagon.

Gimil and Rattlin went ahead to stealthily follow the tracks that Gimil had found.

Shortly afterwards, they came back to say that there were two walking in our direction!  We didn’t have time to hide the wagon, but as soon as we could see them, I slept one while Gimil and Rattling attacked them from the bushes and quickly dispatched those two.

Gimil and Ord both figured that those two were runners reporting to the ambush group, or coming to relieve them, so we took a rest.

We thought that seven bugbears were a lot to have encountered!

In the good old Harnekian spirit, we continued down the trail, following the tracks with Gimil and Rattlin in front with Ord and I behind in the wagon, hunting more bugbears.  We were barely wounded, and had cast very few spells.

Then the luck of Clangeddin, Glittergold, and Harnekiah left us as we were ambushed by six bugbears.

It was a huge and bloody fight.  Javelins came hissing out of the underbrush and Gimil and Rattlin were struck.  My mage armor deflected one and Rattlin and Ord were missed by another each.  There were three on each side of us, and Gimil and Rattlin were about 30 feet ahead of the wagon.

Gimil charged the two on his right as Rattlin shot an arrow and retreated towards the wagon.  Ord cast a bless spell and charged off the wagon as I tried to get two with a sleep spell and got only one.

We were in trouble.  Gimil was out ahead of the group, flanked by two, while the rest of the group had three howling bugbears swinging their morningstars and charging us.

Rattlin took another shot at the charging bugbear and drew his new sword.  The bugbear took a big swing at him and Rattlin got knocked backwards by the force of the blow.

Gimil hewed at one with a mighty swing and nearly killed it, while Ord began fighting the one in front of him.  I saw that two were headed toward Ord, and cast another sleep spell at it.  It’s eyes rolled up in its head and it fell to the ground.  Meanwhile the other one charged at me and took a big swing and missed!

The two fighting Gimil swung their morningstars, one hitting, the other missing.  Ord’s shield shook with the blow from his opponent.

Gimil roared a battle cry and cut the wounded one in half!  His sword continued through and hit the one behind him, wounding it slightly.

Rattlin poked at the giant bugbear with his sword and made a small cut.  His bugbear hit him again and Rattlin fell to the ground.  The bugbear roared and charged towards Ord.

Gimil missed a swing at his, and was hit a crushing blow with a morningstar. Ord’s shield rang with another blow, but he took a fierce axe cut and deeply wounded the bugbear in front of him.

I jumped backward off the wagon on the side opposite the bugbear that had just hit me, and tried another sleep spell.  He resisted, and ran around the wagon and crushed my shoulder with a powerful swing. OW! Ony one spell left!

Gimil raised his sword high and cut his bugbear to the waist! He roared 
“Clangeddin lives in me!” and charged down to help Ord.

Rattlin just lay there, bleeding.  We were all too busy to help.  My shoulder was a bloody mess, almost pulped by the bugbear’s blow.

Ord swung at his and dropped it, just as the other came rushing to hit him. His shield arm was numbed, and hung limply at his side.

I backed up and tried my last spell. SLEEP! I commanded, power flowing from me and ensorcelling his mind.  Down he went!

Ord and Gimil had one flanked between them.  I ran to get to Rattlin.

Gimil nicked the remaining bugbear, and Ord swung and his axe drew sparks from the bugbear’s shield against the bugbear’s shield.

I drew a healing potion from my pack and poured it down Rattlin’s throat.  He choked and gasped, and looked around wildly.

Behind me I heard the final blows as Gimil and Ord ended the life of the last bugbear.

“Are we safe?” Rattlin asked.

“Not yet!” I said, “There are still two sleeping!”

I pointed Gimil to the two sleeping bugbears.  “Kill them!” I shouted, and he and Ord brought their blades down on their throats.

We had survived, but barely.  We were all badly wounded, Rattlin was barely alive, I, bleeding from my shoulder, Gimil with several cuts and bruises, and Ord badly hurt also.

Ord went around and did what healing magic he could, but we were all still wounded.  

We’ve decided to camp here and rest.  We’ll leave the bodies where they lie, Gimil is taking the first watch.  It’s already dark, and I have no spells left.  Ord has none either and we are both resting to regain our spells._


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## Oghma (Jan 22, 2002)

_Dear Diary (Godsday, Flocktime 11 Fourth day of Harnekiah, Early morning)

I didn’t think it could get worse, but it did.  We should have healed ourselves with Ord’s new wand.  I don’t know why did didn’t think of it, but we barely escaped with our lives.  I almost died.  Rattlin almost died.  Ord almost died.  Gimil would have died.

I went to sleep under the wagon, on the opposite side from Rattlin, who also slept underneath.  Ord bedded down near the wagon wheels, but udner the trees.  Gimil was on watch.

He swears he didn’t hear or see a thing.  “One minute I was looking around, then next minute the night was filled with the howls of bugbears. I could barely shout to wake you."

There were eight of them.  We still had no spells.  It was lucky I had bought the wand, and that Ord had bought one too.

When I awoke, it was already chaos.  Gimil had two javelins stuck in him, Ord had one, and Rattlin and I rolled out from under the wagon on either side.

Ord was at the back end of the wagon, his back to it.  Gimil was in the front corner of the wagon, Rattlin was near him on the side of the wagon.  I was on the other side, near Ord.

There were already three bugbears on Gimil, and he was a raging whirl of steel, dodging, slashing, screaming in fury.

Rattlin went behind another approaching Gimil, and sank his sword deep into it’s back.  It whirled, enraged, to attack him.

I whipped out my wand and shot two missiles at the bugbear on Ord’s right, nearest me.  I ran around behind the bugbears and prepared to shot some more.

Two bugbears kept Ord flanked - one that I had wounded, and another that was near the right rear wheel of the cart. Ord hacked desperately at the one I had just hit, trying to drop him.  The third, that had backed Ord into the wagon, whirled to fight me.

Two that had flanked him hit Gimil. The third missed.  Gimil’s sword bit deeply into the side of one of the flanking ones.

Rattlin tumbled away from the bugbear and readied his bow.  The bugbear charged him and hit him hard!  Rattlin’s knees buckled, but he backed away and shot an arrow right into the bugbear.

The bugbear attacking me swung his morningstar and hit me.  Already wounded, I wavered, almost falling down.

Gimil was hit again by one of the bugbears surrounding him. He thrust his sword into the side of the one he’d already wounded.

Ord was wounded and flanked, Gimil was flanked and had an extra on him, and Rattlin had been hit hard.  I had already been hit, and was woozy from the blow.

Rattlin stepped back and fired another arrow, but the bugbear stepped in and felled Rattlin with a sickening crunch.

I shot two missiles into the one in front of me.

Ord needed help, and need it fast.  I saw that if I got on the other side of the one he and I had injured, we would flank it and make it easier to hit.  I knew that the bugbear next to me would get a swing at me, possible killing me, but I had to help Ord.  I ran to flank the one to his right.

Whack!  The bugbear whirled, giving Ord the opening he needed.  Down went the first bugbear kill of this fight.  

The bugbear I’d wounded twice charged and me and hit me.  I saw nothing but blackness.

Diary, I thought I was dead.  I thought we all were.  Rattlin was weakened, Gimil was about to have a fourth bugbear attacking and flanking him if Ratlin fell, and Ord had two on him, one wounded by my missiles and one untouched.

Rattlin stepped back and fired another arrow, but the bugbear stepped in and felled Rattlin with a sickening crunch.

Gimil once again swung his sword but this time, missed.

Ord shouted ‘”Posy! Nooooo!”  He stepped up and slew the one that had downed me with a single, mighty blow.  Braving the attack of his remaining foe, he ran over to me.

Gimil nicked his foe, it was bleeding heavily but still attacking him.  The one that dropped Rattlin ran to attack Gimil.  Soon he’d be flanked on all sides.

Ord whipped out his wand and healed me enough to bring me back to consciousness.  His foe hit him hard, but Ord stood strong above me, fending off the bugbear’s attacks.  I rolled out from under to see Gimil almost surrounded, flanked on four sides.

From across the battlefield I shot two missiles into the one Rattlin had wounded, and they went right into the back of it’s head!  Down it went!  Gimil whirled and cut his wounded foe, dropping it, and scored a mighty hit on the follow- through!

Suddenly the fight was even.  Three of us conscious, three bugbears alive and some wounded.

Ord roared, “For Clangeddin!” and his muscles bulged and he hit the bugbear hard, almost killing it.  The bugbear snarled and hit Ord hard on the side of the head, staggering him.

Gimil killed his wounded one with a mighty swing of his sword, and took a piece of fur out of the last one on him.

Ord was badly hurt, Gimil was bleeding from numerous wounds, and Rattlin was bleeding to death.  I fired off two more missiles into Ord’s then ran to see if I could save Rattlin.

Ord stepped back and healed himself with the wand, and the bugbear hit him again.

Gimil hit his hard.  I got a healing potion out and poured it into Rattlin.

The bugbear fighting Gimil swung and hit him, but Gimil was still enraged and full of fighting fury.

Ord cleaved his bugbear with his axe. Down it went!  I fired two missiles into Gimil’s and it fell, also.

We were alive.

“Ord! Quickly, heal Gimil, he’s going to fall over!” I shouted.  I knew when his rage passed, Gimil could die of the wounds he received in battle.  Ord ran over to heal him.

There were fourteen bugbear bodies all around us from the two fights.  We all looked at each other grimly, exhausted, bleeding, yet victorious.

“No elves in this party”, I said.  “So you dwarves have this much fun every year?”

Gimil’s lips began to twitch. Ord had a broad grin.  Rattlin started laughing and we all joined in.  

We were alive._





[Player note:  We thought were were going to die.  Gimil's player had rolled a one on his spot check, so before we knew it the bugbears were in the middle of our camp.  We were all wounded, and had stupidly not used the cure wand to heal ourselves.
In this fight, every two magic missiles from my wand did nine or ten points.  Gimil survived almost certain death from the surrounding bugbears, and Ord, bless him risked his life for me as I had risked mine for him.  It was incredible, and was easily one of the most exciting fights I'd been in in my adventuring career]


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## Horacio (Jan 22, 2002)

Super! What a fighting scene! 
I love your Story Hour. Posy is the cuttest character in this boards, and the diary stile is great, as I have already said you some times... 

I give it 5 stars...


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## Ziggy (Jan 22, 2002)

Hi!

I'm glad to see Posy back, and what a fight ! Bugbears can be pretty nasty, especially for a low-level party.

The reason I love Posy so much is the mix of everyday stuff and high-tension combat. I love campaigns that also includes stories and scenes not connected to the main plot, and the death of Raddo was beautifully sad. It makes the characters more three dimentional, with a history, and that is what I love in RPGs.

In my campaign the wedding of one of the characters is the main topic of a session, with everybody scambling to get new clothes, planning the party, and discusing whom should be invited.  I just love this stuff 

.Ziggy


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## Kael of the Blackrose (Jan 22, 2002)

*Posy*

It is always a pleasure to follow Posy's adventure. I see you made some editing before posting again on this new board. The tale is even better now...if can be possible.


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## Oghma (Jan 23, 2002)

Yes, I did do some editing on the story before I re-posted.   It needed it, mostly due to some recurring typos, but I sometimes need to check my internal consistency with names and things to make sure I don't mess up.  I'm beginning to get a sort of Encyclopedia Posica to keep track of the names like Bonnie Thimbleprick, Posy's childhood nemesis and places like Treedimple, Posy's childhood home I used filling out the adventure

At this point in the adventure, the group is at 5th level due to the Day of Twenty-one Bugbears.  Our DM (Rattlin's player) was going to run us into Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, but before we could start had to back out of DMing.  

We went on a 2 month hiatus from gaming before Ord's player decided to jump in and DM.  He's never DM'ed a campaign before, but his first adventure was a good one, and had a good background, some investigation, some NPC's we learned to hate, and some good combats.

I think the next installment contains events that happened about six or seven sessions ago.  There is more adventure related interaction with NPC's, and some wild exploits by Rattlin.  These events should take Posy's crew from 5th to 7th level.

Once I get Ord's stats *bonk Ord*  I'll post up everyone the Rogues Gallery again.


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## wolff96 (Jan 23, 2002)

*Re: Posy*

It's great to see that Posy has made the jump to the new boards.

The poll isn't working for me -- something about our network here at work -- but I think Posy is in the top five of the stories here on the board.

Keep writing!


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## Krellic (Jan 23, 2002)

Cuteness comes to heroic fantasy.

Suddenly I feel very old.  

Enjoying the tale, not looking forward to the action figures!  

Keep going you fool!!!


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## Lazybones (Jan 23, 2002)

Great updates!  The battle scene was awesome, and I love the depth of background info that you provide in the "in-town" scenes.  I'm curious--how much of the cultural information is your invention, and how much has been adapted from published game sources?  Either way, stellar thread, Posy is one of my favorite story hour characters!

5 stars!

Lazybones


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## Oghma (Jan 23, 2002)

I used mostly published or web resources and adapted them.   Some of it is taking an idea from those sources and really runnign with it, taking it to an extreme or logical conclusion.  Posy's sorcerous origin was like that, which led to her having a great-great-great grandma Bonicka. 

There is a great write up on Verbobonc at Viscounty and Free Town of Verbobonc, and the gnomish, dwarvish, and halflings cultural things are taken from the Dragon magazine issues on those races.

Dizzyboff is a game from the Dragon Magazine article on gnome games.

The halfling funeral and the general atmosphere of Raddo's death come from both Dragon Magazine and personal experience.

I like those articles a lot, not necessarily because I agree with them all, but they at least show some level of consistency with the idea of a particular race and attack it intelligently.  I enjoyed the gnome issue quite a bit because it really coincided with my idea of Posy's upbringing.

The next installments kind of take an un-Greyhawkian lurch, because the new DM didn't have a framework from Greyhawk to work with, but it's not a bad thing. He and I worked together to shoehorn his adventure into the Kron Hills area.  I'm going over to his place tonight, so I might be able to get an installment in really soon. 

Oggles


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## Horacio (Jan 25, 2002)

Bump!

More Posy, please


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## Oghma (Jan 25, 2002)

_Dear Diary,

I wrote that last entry while Ord was saying his morning prayers to Clangeddin.  We are all pretty quiet this morning.

Well, we certainly learned one thing.  Never go to sleep wounded.  We should have used Ord’s wand before we went to sleep, and thank Clangeddin, Glittergold, and any other deity within range that we survived, but it wouldn’t have been so bad had we all not been wounded.  I was still able to make a difference with the wand of magic missiles, and the battle prowess of Gimil and Ord is not dependent on having spells, but Rattlin went down fast and Ord almost died, too.

We were so exhausted that we just fell asleep among the bodies, but not until Ord had fully healed all of us.  Gimil took another watch, then I took one, then Rattlin made breakfast.  During his watch Gimil hauled all the bodies off behind a clump of bushes.  There were fourteen there.  I’ve never seen so much blood, the air has a copper tang to it from the smell.

Bugbears were always used to scare me when I was a little girl.  We were raised knowing about goblins and training to fight them, but bugbears, though the are goblinoids, were more a source of fear than anything.  “Don’t let the bugbears eat you!” Mom used to ssay if I was going to be out late.  

I’m surprised I didn’t run away screaming like a baby last night, but I guess having been able to defeat so many earlier in the day made me less afraid.  Gimil is so ashamed at having let himself get snuck up on that he’s doing extra hard work to make up for it.  He doesn’t need to, bugbears are known for their stealth.  I think I’ll remind him of that and see if he feels better. Be right back, Dear Diary.

Well, he didn’t say anything, but he relaxed.  It’s funny; ever since Ember came to me I’ve been a lot more insightful, even with the dwarves.  They are hard to read; you can barely see their face for their beard.  With them, it’s all in the eyes and the shoulders.  With Gimil, it’s in the hands, too.  He has so much energy and strength, that when he tries to hold anything in it leaks out his hands.  He clenches them, twists them - anything with them to keep them active.  Ord holds all his emotions in his shoulders.  High, tensed shoulders happen when we tease him about the elf thing. 

We’re back on the trail back to the Low Road now.  We just sat down and talked about what we should do.  Harnekiah aside, all our nerves are a little shaken, and we almost decided to go back to Merboek and rest a day.  After a little talk, and some encouragement by the dwarves, and we decided to press on to Hommlet.

But first, some good old Harnekian chanting.  We are a four-person Harnekian celebration!  Ord says that he’ll have to speak to one of his priests, but he thinks what we did yesterday shows unusual favor by Clangeddin.  I was properly respectful.


I woke up with some new channels to my powers. I’m able to toss these little balls of ice, like magic missiles only unguided.  I can throw three of them, and I can throw three magic missiles, too.  I think it’s interesting how I can feel it and know it.  I get a fuzzy sort of mental picture and a surge of power to my fingertips.  I think these ice balls spheres hit a little harder than missiles, but don’t hit as often.

The most interesting thing I can do now, that I can feel, is this splendor spell.  That one has been hard to figure out, because it’s not a physical thing.  I feel though, that when I cast it, others will see me as more powerful, forceful, and persuasive. It lasts a long time, about as long as the armor spell.  Fear me! I am the almighty Posy! Ha ha ha!  I think Ember would then trip me and make me fall over if I got too big a head.  She’s very gnomish that way.

I’m full of power today. I have a sort of hummy feeling, and I feel like I could make sparks just by touching things.

The Low Road does a funny jog between the villages of Nulb and Hommlet.  After it leaves Merboek, it goes down to Hommlet and continues through Nulb through the Gnarley forest.  South of Nulb, on another road from Hommlet, is the village of Blaisingdell and a second road connects Nulb and Blaisingdell. There is a less frequently used road that goes through some hills right to Nulb, though, and we are at that fork in the trail.  The information that we got at the funeral said that the banditry was happening around Nulb, so we are going to take this less traveled road and go to Nulb first, then Hommlet.  Got that, Dear Diary? Low Road: Merboek-Hommlet-Nulb-Parts East.  Nulb Road: Merboek-Nulb. Blaisingdell Road: Nulb-Blaisingdell.  Right.

So, we set out among the hills to Nulb.  The road is not a great one, as it goes up and down a bit through the hills, but it’s a very nice day, and I set about trying to lift spirits with a little song on the lute.  We should have a name for our group.  Posy’s Marauders!  No, we’re nicer than marauders.  The Champions of Harnekiah!  Might get some dwarves steamed up. Twenty-one Bugbear Stew! No Elves Here, Just Short Folk! Three Clods and a Flower!

Rattlin just came back from his shift up front and asked why I was laughing.  Some of his suggestions:  The Clangers of Clangeddin.  What’s a Dwarf?  Twenty-one Sword Salute to Bugbears.  Hee hee.

We are heading down into a little narrow gap between two hills.  It's abouth noon, and pretty soon we'll be stopping to eat.

We just heard a woman’s screams!  Ord’s whipping the mules up while Gimil runs ahead!  Write more later!_



I tried to put this up yesterday, but things were so slow it wouldn't take.  


Oghma


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## Horacio (Jan 25, 2002)

Hey, Oghma, thanks for such a fast fulfillment of my request! 

What a lovely way of saying _"the party healed, slept and Posy gained a level and some spells"_!!!!! 
I love Posy's diary!


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## Kael of the Blackrose (Jan 26, 2002)

*Posy's great*

I love it, it's great because Posy's adventures take place arount the same region as my dwarven wizard character: 

Duke Arak Dedantatrum Corond Onegar


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## Horacio (Jan 28, 2002)

Last time I beg for an update and I was given an update.
Today I'm going to retry the trick...

Oghma, give us more Posy!


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## Horacio (Jan 30, 2002)

/me gives Posy a friendly bump


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## Oghma (Jan 30, 2002)

I'm not sure how Posy would react to a friendly bump...

Probably giggle and turn your drink blue, or something. 

I'm re-creating the next battle, which I may be able to complete tonight or tomorrow night.  Soon it will be easier, since I started recording round-by-round action in our battles after I got *really* tired of trying to re-create them from memory.  As levels go up, so do options, and so do the options of the NPC's.  This makes it really complicated to remember, especially since these events took place over two months ago.

I'm re-creating the battles because I'm trying to stick as close to the actual campaign as possible, with the occasional background filler or non-campaign storyline only when the story needs it.  The campaign has been exciting enough, it doesn't need much in the way of amplification.

This battle also inaugurates the new DM, and it was a pretty fun battle.


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## Matchstick (Jan 31, 2002)

A new DM?  I must have missed that.

Twenty one Bugbear Stew!!!!

LOL!

Jeez, no pressure Oghma, but I really look forward to your updates.


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## Horacio (Jan 31, 2002)

Oghma said:
			
		

> *I'm not sure how Posy would react to a friendly bump...
> 
> Probably giggle and turn your drink blue, or something.
> *




My eyes opens wide when Posy pass her hand over my drink and it turns to deep bright blue... I giggle nervously.



Waiting for the update. No pression, but I need my dose of Posyadventures...


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## Oghma (Jan 31, 2002)

*pant* *pant*

Well, I'm working on it.  I don't like posting too many short entries, but I could if that's what you need.  I'd like to at least get to afternoon on FLocktime 11th (currently we're at the late morning of Flocktime 11th).

I'm not too far from finishing, but I don't have time in my life, I just had to work a twelve hour day.  

Sooon.  *soothing noises*  Sooooon.


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## Lazybones (Feb 1, 2002)

Oghma said:
			
		

> **pant* *pant*
> 
> Well, I'm working on it.  I don't like posting too many short entries, but I could if that's what you need.  I'd like to at least get to afternoon on FLocktime 11th (currently we're at the late morning of Flocktime 11th).
> 
> ...




Well, it's your own darn fault for writing such a quality story.  I have to admit, I saw your name in the "most recent post" column and came over for my "fix".  

But I think we'd all rather have the quality Posy-post we're used to than a rushed product hurried out the door.  Take your time, and the readers will be here when you're ready!

Lazybones


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## Oghma (Feb 3, 2002)

I'm going to do asmall installment, since I'm waiting on some information. - Oghma 


_Dear Diary, (still the 11th!)

It’s been quite a day so far, and it’s only about noon.  We ran towards the screams and found a bandit ambush, but not one like we expected.

In Verbobonc they told us that there were humanoid bandits, so we were surprised to see that all the attackers were human.  Well, we discovered later that the woman was a half elf, but you get my point.

Two fancy carriages had been trapped between two felled trees.  Each carriage had held four guards, but they had all been killed and the bandits had broken into the carriages and had started to rape the women in there.

It was horrible to see and it made me very angry.  I’d felt the power humming in me all day, and now it was ready to come out.

There was a human lounging by the tree that had been felled, dressed in nice armor and with a long sword at his side.  Near the back of one of the carriages was a blond woman looking through the chests that had been stored there.  

We tore into them like competitors at the blueberry pie eating contest at the Treedimple Annual Faire and Swap Meet.  Luckily it didn’t end as messily. 

I fired missiles at the ones hurting the women, and dropped two right away.  The rest shot at the remaining bandits while Gimil sprinted towards the lounging bandit.

The bandits dropped what they were doing and moved to attack.

The three remaining bandits closed on Rattlin and Ord.  Their attacks missed.

The blond woman disappeared. This was trouble.  I shouted a warning.

The human warrior nimbly leapt towards Gimil, attacked, then retreated in a flash.  This guy was trouble, too.

Ord dropped his bandit with a swipe of his axe, and continued forward to help Gimil with Mister Twinkletoes.

Rattlin fenced with his, and I sent three missiles into another, dropping him.  It was us four against the Twinkletoes and the invisible girl.

I felt badly exposed to the invisible girl, so I ran to climb on the wagon where Ember was.  My senses were sharper with Ember around, and I could hear if someone rustled towards me.  The supplies gave me a little cover, too.  I waited for a sign.

Rattlin listened and moved forward carefully.

Meanwhile, Ord and Gimil had been trying to contain the warrior, who was dodging and weaving about.  The human was having a tough time of it, as there were axe-scars on him.

Suddenly, behind Rattlin, the woman appeared and attacked!  Her sword thrust deep into Rattlins side and he screamed.  I snapped three missiles into her as she burst away.  Rattlin recovered and charged at her, but didn’t quite make it to her.

I heard a triumphant roar from the dwarves as our nimble foe got one step too close to Gimil, and he almost cut him in half with his big sword.

With that, the blond girl disappeared.  We waited, listening, but nothing was heard for a few minutes.

Rattlin watched for signs while the others looted the bodies.  I ran to help the women.  I called for Ord once I got there, for they were battered and bruised.

Both girls were beyond speaking.  We healed their wounds well enough, and got them safe, but it will be awhile before they can say anything coherent.  Poor things!  They both looked well bred and as if their whole lives had been nicely planned for them.  Somewhere along the way life decided to plan something else.  I hope they are all right.

Gimil checked for tracks where the girl bandit was last spotted, but they led off into the woods a ways, and looked to Gimil like she was running flat out.

Meanwhile, Ord found that one of the bandits was still breathing, so we tied him up and bound his wounds so that we can talk some stuff out of him.  All he was able to tell us was that the female was named Jennifer, and Twinkletoes was named Izbe.   He passed out after that, and we figured we’d get more from him later.

We were able to find out that the girls were headed toward Nulb from the tracks, so since we were headed that way, Ord and Gimil pulled the trees off the road, pulled the destroyed carriages off, and we loaded the bodies of the carriage guards and drivers on our little wagon, and are heading off to Nulb.  We figured that the families of these guards would want to know their fates.

Twinkletoes had some magic on him, a sword, some armor, and a potion of some sort.  That’s nice for the dwarves.

We’ve heard a far off roaring sound, to the North, where the Gnarley Forest is.  It seems to be coming our way!_


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## Kael of the Blackrose (Feb 4, 2002)

*Posy's diary*

Well done!
That wagon althought slow seems awfuly useful...


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## Matchstick (Feb 5, 2002)

> We tore into them like competitors at the blueberry pie eating contest at the Treedimple Annual Faire and Swap Meet. Luckily it didn’t end as messily.




Another classic!  Once again, these are the things that make this Story Hour one of the best around.

Posy is handling the rape of those women better than I would have expected.  She's such a sensitive soul.  Perhaps there will be a bit of a delayed emotional reaction for her as well.


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## shilsen (Feb 7, 2002)

*Hey!*

You guys just let Posy fall off the front page!! And you call yourselves fanboys!!


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## Horacio (Feb 7, 2002)

Posy! Posy! I let you fall in the second page!
I'm so sorry!
Posy, will you forgive me?


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## Oghma (Feb 8, 2002)

Aw!  Thanks guys.  Posy has currently been hijacked by RL.  I'm trying to get a minute in to complete the Flocktime 11th entry, but it's just not happneing.  Maybe this weekend, if things go easier.  I've had staff illnesses all week and am planning a wedding of my own and I'm also the best man for Gimil's wedding, which happens next week! 


Oghma


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## Kael of the Blackrose (Feb 10, 2002)

*Posy!*

We shall not let Posy sink into oblivion. Here is a little friendly *bump* to keep the thread lively.


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## Oghma (Feb 11, 2002)

Ok, I'll make a commitment for the next update.

There will be a new Posy by Wednesday, Feb 13th.

If I don't add my Posifying to this week's schedule, I'll never get to it.


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## Horacio (Feb 11, 2002)

Now you have done a public promise to Posy's fans, if you fail we will kill you...

Wait a moment...

If we kill you, you wont be able to write more Posy tales...

O.K., we won't kill you, but please don't fail us...


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## djrdjmsqrd (Feb 12, 2002)

*Ahmen*

AAAAAAAAAAAMEN!


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## Kael of the Blackrose (Feb 12, 2002)

*Posy's diary*

Only one day to go...


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## Oghma (Feb 13, 2002)

Update about the update!

I'll probably be putting it in later tonight.  I have only a few things to finish, but little time to do it in.

Thanks for your patience and encouragement!

Oghma


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## Oghma (Feb 13, 2002)

*At last!*

If there are typos, I'll come back to correct them later.   Oghma



_Flocktime 11 (cont’d)

Oh! I forgot to mention that we had that letter which was on the captain of the guard. It read:

Dear Jorus,

Let this letter serve as an introduction for the Captain of my guard, Balen. I also commend  my daughter to you..  I hope her betrothal in the next few months will serve our purpose as more than the union of a daughter and a son.

Strok Thockwood


We’re not sure what that roaring noise was.  It appeared to be heading away from us, so we are just riding in the direction of Nulb.

I checked back with the two girls.  They’d been sitting next to Ord on the wagon.  I had to climb up over some of our stuff, but I was able to sit on the footrest (just my size!) and face the two humans.  We’d loaded the guards’ bodies at the far end of the cart, and covered them up.

One is blond, and pretty, and looks like she’s been well taken care of, at least until this attack.  Her eyes are cornflower blue, (mine are a bit darker) and she stared vacantly off over the mule’s ears.  She was the prettier of the two, and I know that at least one of the bandits had been on top of her when we got there.  Poor thing!

The other is a bit older, and looks more like a maid or perhaps a lady-in-waiting.  She looked like life held less surprises for her than the first one.

I spoke to the darker haired one. “My name is Posy.  I was named after a handful of flowers.  What are your names?”

She quietly said, “I’m Mora, and she’s Noria.”

“Where were you headed?”  I tried to speak solicitously, because I didn’t want her to feel interrogated.  I could sense some impatience from Ord, but I think he was keeping quiet because he knew he might spook them.  I think a roaring dwarf would do that to me, frankly, after what these two had been through.

“To Blaisingdell.”  It looked like Noria wasn’t even aware we were talking.

“Where were you coming from?”

“Nulb.”

“Why do you think you were attacked?”

“They didn’t want us to get there.”  She was speaking in a monotone, trying hard not to feel anything.  How strong of her!  Most women would either be catatonic, like Noria, or screaming in hysterics like Bonnie Thimbleprick when I made her skirt transparent.  This woman was holding it together to give me information that might help.

“Would you and Noria like something warm to drink?”

Mora nodded.  I reached over to the dwarves keg and pulled out their mugs.  I looked at Ord and he glared at me a bit, but I gave him a look.  I filled the mugs and heated the ale and added spiciness with my spell.  Mora took the mug from me and put it in Noria’s hands and then curled Noria’s hands around the mug before she took her own.

“They knew you were coming?”

She nodded.

“Did you know any of them?”

Mora shook her head.

I paused.  I was about to ask her to draw a conclusion, or to examine why she drew a conclusion.  She was obviously still shaken, and holding herself in by strength of will.  Women like her make me think there is hope for humans after all.  I decided to risk it.

“What made you think they were after you, and trying to stop you?”

“It w-w-was the th-th-things they were sh-sh-shouting! It was horrible!”  Her lip had begun to quiver and she finally broke down, sobbing, her face sliding down like ice on a sun-warmed window.  She tried to hide her face in the mug and hot tears began to spill down her face.  I glanced over to Noria and saw tears begin on her face, too.

I took the mug from her hand and held her while she sobbed.  It must have looked a bit funny, three-foot-tall me comforting a five-something-foot-tall woman, but she was sitting and I was standing a bit high on the footrest, but it was the best I could do.  Noria leaned into Mora’s and my shoulder and we all cried a little together.  I made soothing sounds and said things like “You’re safe now, we’ll protect you.”

Why does this sort of thing happen?  What brings anyone to inflict such pain on another?  Is it the simple fact of their helplessness that somehow makes someone feel they can inflict evil on them?  These girls hadn’t harmed anyone, and whatever the reason was they were attacked; it doesn’t justify what happened to them.  I was angry, and I was glad we’d killed them all, and I hoped we’d find that blond woman that took part in this and that I could make her see what she had done.  I got so angry my body started to stiffen, but I caught myself and relaxed before the girls noticed.  I had to remain calm and comforting.

I called Ember up and got her to put her head in Noria’s lap, to give her something to do that was comforting and peaceful.  Ember is a sweet dog, and she snuggled right up to Noria.

“Is this your dog?” she said quietly.

“Yes, her name is Ember because of that bright red mark on her chest, like a spark,” I said.

She looked and spotted it and scratched Ember’s chest.  Ember likes that, and her tail wagged and she licked Noria’s face.  Ember was doing a great job of comforting.

I turned to Mora again and said, “So they knew who you were and why you were traveling.”

She nodded.  Yes or no questions were working pretty well, because at the moment it was easier for her not to say anything, which risked her getting too caught up.

“We’re heading back to Nulb, is that ok?”

She nodded.

“Do you have family there we can take you to?”

She nodded again.

“Posy,” Ord said, “we need to take a rest break now, give the mules some food and water.”

“Do you two want to stay up here in the wagon?” I asked.

They both nodded.

We stopped the wagon in a small shaded clearing and gave some water and a good rubdown to the mules.  I related what little I’d learned from the women to the rest of the group, and since we were headed to where they wanted to go, we did at least not need to change where we were heading.

Gimil said, “I’m not happy about that noise we heard earlier.  I’ve heard some more crashing sounds from that direction.”

Rattlin, unfamiliar with forests and woodlands, said, ‘Do you think it was Orcs, Goblins?  What about giants?  Or more of those bugbears?”  He jumped up and down.  “We can handle ‘em!”

Ord ignored Rattlin.  “That woman may be coming around in front of us to setup an ambush.  I would be better if we found it before they sprung it.”

Gimil said, “Rattlin, why don’t you take the reins for a while, I’ll scout ahead on the right side while Ord scouts ahead on the left.”

“Drive the mules? This’ll be fun!”

I said, “Rattlin! Have a care.  Mora and Noria don’t need any bouncing around.  They need a little peace and quiet.  Drive carefully.”  (If I had only known!)

Gimil and Ord set out ahead while I hopped on the back after reassuring the women.  I poked at the unconscious bandit and he stirred, but didn’t wake up.  I couldn’t wait to have a chance to talk with him!

Suddenly there was a crashing of underbrush and a whooping yell to my left, which was where the noises had come from before.  Bursting out of the underbrush was an immense brown bear!  I’ll have to admit, the bear looked as surprised to see us as we were!

Rattlin took one look at the women and leapt off the side of the wagon and charged at the bear!  “You won’t touch them!” he shouted as he drew his sword.  He took an inspired poke at the bear and hit it, causing it to rear back.  It towered over Rattlin and roared.

The mules, smelling bear and hearing the roar and crashing noises, took off running, the women hanging on for dear life!  I hopped off, thinking that Rattlin was in a lot of trouble, and praying that the mules would be able to stopped by Gimil or Ord.  Both of them were already down the trail!  It would take a while for their short dwarf legs to get back.  I shot three missiles at the bear.

I had forgotten how quick Gimil was.  He ran almost the whole way back by the time the bear had recovered from it’s surprise.  It took a swing at poor little Rattlin and hit him and grabbed him with one paw!  With the other paw, the bear got a firm hold and ripped into Rattlin!  Rattlin took a weak, seemingly drunken swing at the bear and fell to the ground.

Gimil charged up and yelled at the bear, and took a mighty swing at it, caused a large cut to open in it’s side.  I shot some more missiles at it, but I was keeping a careful eye on Rattlin and was looking for an opening to move him out of the way.  Ord was pounding up the road towards us.

The bear swung again at Gimil, but Gimil ducked and sliced at it again with his sword.  Roaring, the bear took a step back from the force of the blow and stepped in again to attack.

It was all happening so fast, I didn’t think I could get to Rattlin.  He lay there at the bears feet, bleeding, and I had a healing draught ready, but I didn’t want to get anywhere near that thing, with it’s long arms, and I certainly didn’t want to get in Gimil’s way.

The bear grabbed Gimil, and it looked like he was going to try to rend him like he did Rattlin.  Gimil, however, had other ideas and with a violent motion, tore himself out of the bear’s arms.  Then, with a powerful overhand swing, cut the bear deep between the neck and shoulder and killed it.

Ord ran up to Rattlin and reached him just as I did.  

Gimil said, “The wagon!” and took off in the direction it had gone.

I said “Mora! Noria!” and ran to keep up with him, leaving Rattlin and Ord to jog back when they could.

When we got to the wagon, we’d discovered that our prisoner had had his throat neatly cut.  Jennifer had been there.  Ord and Rattlin came back to say that the bear had recent arrow wounds.  Jennifer’s work, again.

The women were huddled together in the seat of the wagon, but the wagon looked like the wheel had been broken.  Ord and Gimil are jury-rigging a wheel to get us to Nulb, which is only a few hours away.

I cast a sleep spell on Mora and Noria.  They’d had enough.  I hoped to explain their unconsciousness by making something up about fatigue.  It’s almost true, anyway._




Oghma


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## Kael of the Blackrose (Feb 14, 2002)

*Posy's Diary*

Excellent! That Jennifer sure is a clever girl and a pain...I am glad to see another person in this world abide by her word.

Thanks!


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## Horacio (Feb 14, 2002)

Wow, Oghma!
It was a long wait, but it was worth of it. Genial, as usual!

      Horacio, Posy fan #1 (or #2 or #3...)


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## Matchstick (Feb 14, 2002)

Excellent as usual.

It's interesting to hear Posy, who I think of as rather innocent, dealing with some pretty harsh realities.  She's handling it better than I would have thought, though I wonder if she's being strong for the women, and will break down a bit once they are safe.

How have the other members of the party reacted to this ourage?  They're obviously staying clear of the women, wisely, but I haven't seen much indication of their feelings about this.

Maybe Gimil can post to let us know!


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## Oghma (Feb 15, 2002)

I've always seen Posy as having a hefty dose of horse-sense.  There are times when she's sentimental, but I've always thought of her as having that roll-up-her-sleeves and get the job done type of mentality. I think that is what has sustained her through this.

For a girl whose parents had her bags all packed (see post #1), she's got a lot of self confidence, too.  She's kind of irrepressible, which is good for the only gnome, and only girl in a party with strong-willed dwarves.

As for her innocence, well, I think you are on target, but there is a part of Posy that is older than her years.  She's very mature about inter-personal matters, and has good insights.  Her familiar, Ember the dog, (+2 Sense Motive) has helped her with that also.

Oghma


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## psychognome (Feb 17, 2002)

Ohmygosh! Posy's dropped to second page! This evil must be undone!
*BUMP*
Posy still rules!
*points at sig*


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## Dougal DeKree (Feb 18, 2002)

*Posy's weekly dose of prose...*

Hello there...

I finally caught up with this story-hour and agree with the other readers: excellently done, mood-transferring story, 5 stars  

Only thing that takes me wonder - as good as Posy is judging the situations (and crafty getting out again), why doesn't she use more illusions? Just pondering...

Dougal DeKree, Gnomish Illusionist and "Magic-Items-Seller"  
"Hope shall be the blade that severs our bonds"


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## Oghma (Feb 20, 2002)

Hi! and thanks for reading!  It's always good to see a new poster on Posy's diary.

The reason Posy doesn't use illusions is simple enough, I guess.  She's a sorceress, and hasn't been given any illusion spells as her spells known.  I hinted a little at it when talking about her great^3 grandmother Bonicka's affair with some sort of fey creature, but I don't really go out and say "Yo, da Poze is a sorceress."

Thanks for reading!

P.S. For those waiting for an installment, it will probably be later this week, since right now my library is closed for renovations and we're getting everything (36,000+ volumes, plus shelving and furniture) moved into storage so construction can begin.  This last weekend was Gimil's RL wedding, and we had to take a little time for recovery, since Rattlin and Ord were in the wedding party 

Oghma.


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## Dougal DeKree (Feb 22, 2002)

*Posy on page 2? Nooo...*

Hey again.

*bump*

As for Posy being a sorceress, yes i figured that out 
BUT it doesn't answer my question. I know sorcerers have little known spells, but don't you want illusions since you want to be apart from the "usual" gnomish illusion-tricksters? Or simply have spells with "more effect" - understandable, since you are the only "mobile artillery platform" (spellcaster) of the group...

Only nosy, Posy 

Dougal DeKree, Gnomish Illusionist and "Magic-Items-Seller"
"If you are totally down, it can only go one way!" "Sideways?!"


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## psychognome (Feb 22, 2002)

*puts out a stand*
Get yer Posy Fanclub membership badges right over here, they're free... here, I'll show ya how it works:
*takes a badge that has "Posy Fanclub Member #1" written on it*
*sticks it into his signature*
There, that wasn't so hard, was it? Get yer own Posy Fanclub badge while they're fresh!


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## Thorntangle (Feb 22, 2002)

Just wanted to pipe in my praise.  Posy is one of the best storyhour characters out there and your talent has really brought her to vivid life.  Thanks for your work, Oghma.

I'll sign up for the fan club.  Do I get an autographed 8x10 of Posy?


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## Darklone (Feb 22, 2002)

*Phew*

Finally caught up with that story hour too...

Can't but praise Posy. But I fear I can only repeat the others of the fanclub. That means, it's great, I love it, the characters rock, the background infos and descriptions of towns and people are great, I love to see many old adventures, nice dog, ...

Keep up the good work!

May the sun shine always on the dagger in your back!

Darklone


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## Oghma (Feb 23, 2002)

> I know sorcerers have little known spells, but don't you want illusions since you want to be apart from the "usual" gnomish illusion-tricksters? Or simply have spells with "more effect" - understandable, since you are the only "mobile artillery platform" (spellcaster) of the group...





Posy's original conception was as an Evoker, really.  Her first feat was Spell focus: Evocation before I realized how useless that really was... 

I mean, Magic Missile has no save, so the +2 hardly helps, there are no good 2nd level Evocation spells, and in wasn't until 6th level that she got Fireball, where I used it for the first time.  At 8th, she'll take Ice Storm; again, no save .  I took a Lesser Cold Orb spell just to have an Evocation spell with a saving throw! 

But enough about Evocation!  I really liked the idea of a sweet little gnome girl throwing around a lot of magic power.  A big bang in a small package, as it were.  It also takes her out of the traditional gnomish illusionist, which I did want to avoid.  It sets her as apart from her community.

This accomplished a couple of things.  First, although not exactly an outcast, Posy had to develop her people skills and charm to get along in Treedimple.  It also tended to push her away from her community, and that pointed her in the direction of adventuring.  While she misses certain things about Treedimple, I don't think she'd give up her adventuring experience to return.

Thanks for your interest!  I'll have psychognome send you your Posybadge. 

Oghma


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## Horacio (Feb 23, 2002)

Hey, I want my Posy badget too! 
And a signed Posy photo!
What must I do?


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## djrdjmsqrd (Feb 24, 2002)

Oghma 

First, as a writer myself I must apologize - I know how much feedback is wanted/needed.  RL keeps me from posting often, but not viewing.  I begun viewing the Story Hour of yours at the beginning, and I must say that is one of the best.  Also, my only current character right now is a Gnome Female (Rouge2/Sorceror5) - run similarly, yet, differently then Posy.

Thank You,
Djordje

PS. Thank you a lot for the Stat blocks in the RG


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## Dougal DeKree (Feb 25, 2002)

*BADGE!*



			
				Oghma said:
			
		

> * Thanks for your interest!  I'll have psychognome send you your Posybadge.
> 
> Oghma *




*cheerfully* i get a posy badge i get a posy badge 

Dougal DeKree, Rog3/Wiz5 without ANY evo/conj-spells at all, parttime-coward & group-saver

edited to CLAIM PAGE NUMBER 5! It is mine! Muhahahaa!


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## gimil (Feb 27, 2002)

In response to the query about Gimil's thoughts on the rapes, Gimil is a jaded soul and his views on life are quite different. His earliest memories are of his clans survivors struggling just to survive the wilds and the occasional humanoid raid. This is where his "Racists " views come from. He dislikes most Demihuman races and has no use for humans. In his opinion humans will breed with anything; half orc, half elf, etc… this behavior is that of a lesser race. So when he saw the human girls being treated that way by one of their own kind it was no great surprise to him, and in fact he thought the girls should have been glad to have survived the incident. However Posy in her own way is showing Gimil that there are other ways of looking at life and the things that happen in it.


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## Dougal DeKree (Mar 4, 2002)

*ahem...*

It's Monday and time for a *BUMP*, i think 

Dougal DeKree, Gnomish Illusionist


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## Horacio (Mar 5, 2002)

/me gives Posy a friendly bump


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## Oghma (Mar 5, 2002)

Howdy, bumpers!

I've been really busy lately, but let me pass outsome Posy News.  In that last game session, the party all made 8th level! Now I'm agonizing over what 4th level spell for Posy to take.  Ice Storm? Improved Invisibilty?  I'm not sure!

I haven't gotten that far in the actual Diary, but I'm working on writing the next installment today and tomorrow.  I may have to just set a schedule and maybe guarantee a twice a week installment or something.  I'm just busy!

Oghma


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## Dougal DeKree (Mar 5, 2002)

*4th lvl spell...*

Hi Oghma!

Nice to hear all survived (and reached a new level) 

If you want opinions on nice 4th level spells, there are:

Offensive: Coldscream, Enervation, Flaming Corrosion
Defensive: Minor Globe of Invulnerability, Stoneskin
Misc: Edvard's black tentacles, Polymorph Self

As for me i would prefer Polymorph self, since it is a very variable spell offering many possibilities or Stoneskin, granting a good deal of protection, which will benefit in almost any combat. Or of course flat-out-damage. Flaming Corrosion is especially nice, since it is a cone...

Cheers!

Dougal DeKree, Gnomish Illusionist


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## Darklone (Mar 5, 2002)

*Uh oh ...*

Don't forget the 250gp every time you cast stoneskin..... That really sucks.

I'd go with polymorph self too. Our wizard often opened the doors our rogue didn't manage. By transforming into a firegiant and kicking the wall through next to the door (He's not that good at aiming...)

Evards tentacles can be horrific as defence since Posy is a gnome... small. Rattlin will love it too, grappled enemies will suffer his sneak attacks. And perhaps it's evocation? No idea right now.

Ah it's conjuration. Too bad. But think about it, enemy spellcasters don't like it either (assuming they aren't small too ... a reduce spell saves your life sometimes!)


----------



## Horacio (Mar 6, 2002)

Go for Polymorph Self. It's a very versatile spell.
Read Wulf story hour for some ggood uses of it


----------



## Ziggy (Mar 6, 2002)

Oghma said:
			
		

> *Howdy, bumpers!
> 
> I've been really busy lately, but let me pass outsome Posy News.  In that last game session, the party all made 8th level! Now I'm agonizing over what 4th level spell for Posy to take.  Ice Storm? Improved Invisibilty?  I'm not sure!
> *




I'm currently playing a 8th level wizard, and my recommendations are:

1. Polymorph Self. Horribly unbalanced spell. Polymorph into a troll to kick butt, polymorph into a pixie to get neat special abilities and fly. My DM has banned it.

2. Plolymorph other. Nice instant death spell (with save). Polymorph monsters into slugs, then kill them. Also banned by my DM, no instant kill at 4th level (might get it later).

3. Improved invisibility. My first spell at 4th level. Rattlin will love you, and it will help you immensely in tough fights if the monsters can't see you  

4. Evards tentacles. Can be a blessing in disguise, but very neat for controlling the battlefield. 

5. Minor Globe of Invulnerability. Will help Posy against those nasty spells, a bit short duration, but still very useful. 

6. Stoneskin. Very good spell, but the cost is far to high to cast regularely. More usefull for wizards. 

My wiazard also got Mass Darkvision and Mass Resist Elements (both from Tome&Blood), but I don't think your party need those as much as we do (and he's an abjurer, focusing on defensive magic). 

.Ziggy


----------



## Oghma (Mar 7, 2002)

These are all good suggestions!  I never really looked at Evard's Black Tentacles much, but the fact that the tentacles ignore creatures smaller than Medium is rather Interesting...

I know Polymorph Self is a big favorite, but I have a little problem with it.  It's a bit overpowered, and in a roleplaying sense, Posy hasn't _seen_ many monsters.  I believe to transform into an Umber Hulk, or Pixie, Posy would have to have seen or interacted with one.  It's hard for me to swallow that Posy could just, *poof* know what an Umber Hulk looks like from stories or even a book.  I don't think the rules address it, but it doesn't feel right.

Coldscream sounds interesting, but I don't have Eldritch Might I to take a look at it.  It fits with her general "evocation" bent, though.  She has Spell focus: Evocation going for her.

Improved Invis looks really good too.

*ponder*

I'll probably be home sick today, so I'll get a chance to Posify if I don't feel too yucky.  Thanks for your patience and comments!

Oghma


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## shilsen (Mar 7, 2002)

Oghma said:
			
		

> *I know Polymorph Self is a big favorite, but I have a little problem with it.  It's a bit overpowered, and in a roleplaying sense, Posy hasn't seen many monsters.  I believe to transform into an Umber Hulk, or Pixie, Posy would have to have seen or interacted with one.  It's hard for me to swallow that Posy could just, *poof* know what an Umber Hulk looks like from stories or even a book.  I don't think the rules address it, but it doesn't feel right. *




Another problem for Posy with Polymorph Self is that you can only polymorph into a creature up to one size larger than your normal form. Since Posy is a gnome, she would not be able to take on Large shapes, and a number of the more popular ones (like the Umber Hulk you mentioned above) are unavailable.

My personal favourite for 4th level spells is Enervation. No save, and the negative levels are great to use on spellcasters who preapre spells, since they automatically lose one of their highest-level spells for each negative level incurred.


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## Darklone (Mar 7, 2002)

*Yeah enervate!*



			
				shilsen said:
			
		

> *
> My personal favourite for 4th level spells is Enervation. No save, and the negative levels are great to use on spellcasters who preapre spells, since they automatically lose one of their highest-level spells for each negative level incurred. *




Right, no giants when polymorphed for her ... polymorphing into things you seen in action is usual ... a very common houserule.

Enervation: love it. Allows you to kill many things rather easily with a few ranged touch attacks, and no worries about how many hitpoints someone has! ... think about extending it to more than 24 hours as soon as you reach lvl12... then the negative levels may become permanent!


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## psychognome (Mar 8, 2002)

*And a Posy Badge ye shall get:*



			
				Horacio said:
			
		

> *Hey, I want my Posy badget too!
> And a signed Posy photo!
> What must I do?
> 
> *




Posy Fanclub Member #2
(just copy and paste it into yon sig)
And for a signed Posy photo ye shall have to ask from Posy herself!


----------



## Horacio (Mar 9, 2002)

*Re: And a Posy Badge ye shall get:*



			
				psychognome said:
			
		

> *
> 
> Posy Fanclub Member #2
> (just copy and paste it into yon sig)
> And for a signed Posy photo ye shall have to ask from Posy herself!  *




Thanks!

     Horacio
     Posy Fanclub Member #2


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## Ziggy (Mar 9, 2002)

I want to be number 3


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## Dougal DeKree (Mar 11, 2002)

**BUMP**

...had to bump...posy was on page #2...

how 'bout an update in exchange?!  

Dougal DeKree, Gnomish Illusionist


----------



## Krellic (Mar 11, 2002)

I must admit I'm missing Posy's cheerful optimism.  Looking forward to the next update to save me from real life...


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## Oghma (Mar 12, 2002)

I started working on the next installment tonight, but it may be a while until I get it out.  I've had a bad cold with a fever and at the same time, had to put in a fence in my backyard with the help of Ord, Gimil, and Rattlin.  Hopefully this week, maybe by Wednesday?  I'll see how tomorrow goes.  Thanks for the bumps, they shall be rewarded soon!

It's beginning to look like I'm going to run out of Posybadges for the Posy fan club! 

Oghma


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## Dougal DeKree (Mar 12, 2002)

*Posy Badge*

Damn, forgot to ask which number my badge has...


----------



## Horacio (Mar 12, 2002)

Mine is number 2!!!


       Horacio
       Posy fanclub #2


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## Darklone (Mar 13, 2002)

*Uhm...*

Darklone prefers to hide his "I love Posy" T-shirt in the presence of gnomehaters. As well as his "I like elves" badge. And the "Halflings aren't boring" sticker.


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## Horacio (Mar 13, 2002)

You shouldn't do it!
You should wear proudly your Posy fanclub badge, without fear or remorse. Gnomehaters... Posy wouldn't let gnomehaters stop her, she would sleep or magimissile them, why don't you do it?


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## Darklone (Mar 13, 2002)

*Yeah, why?*

I guess I'd lose 

The last gnome in that group was hanged. By the other players. Sleep them? Hmm, I could play a female that tells them for hours what happened on the last shopping tour... 

Posify!


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## Horacio (Mar 14, 2002)

Or you could play a kender 

   Horacio, Posy fanclub #2, I want more Posy!


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## Oghma (Mar 15, 2002)

I have been Posifying!

The new Posy will be up tomorrow afternoon.

Oghma


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## Horacio (Mar 15, 2002)

Tomorrow?!?!

I have no internet this weekend! I will have to wait until Monday!
AAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Oghma (Mar 15, 2002)

I need to do some fact-checking, so look for the update tomorrow morning!

Soon!

Oghma


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## Darklone (Mar 16, 2002)

*Waving a Posy flag...*



			
				Oghma said:
			
		

> *I need to do some fact-checking, so look for the update tomorrow morning!
> *




We'll do!


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## Oghma (Mar 17, 2002)

Here it is! More to come!

_Flocktime 11, almost dinner time

What a lousy day.  It seems like everything we did was a catastrophe.  (Hmm, I think I spelled it right.  Old Felster made me spell it over and over, until I figured out a way to remember it.  Cat Ass Trophy drop the s, change the y to e.)

The first dumb thing we did was to pull into town in a bumpy wagon piled high with the bodies of guards from Nulb, carrying the sleeping forms of a well liked daughter of the richest merchant (Stark Thockwood) in town and her maid.  They looked dead, too.  We then decided to stop in front of the busiest inn to ask for directions.

We figured out our mistake from all the looks we were getting, but by then it was too late.  We were the talk of the town, and not in a good way.

I jumped off the wagon, Ember by my side, and entered the Inn.  I ran up to the innkeeper and said, in a voice I hoped would carry, “Quickly, how can I reach Stark Thockwood?  His daughter’s carriages were attacked by bandits, and she’s badly hurt!”

I had hoped that my announcement would have made the people around us think that we were the good guys, but all I got was mutters and grumbles and stares.  It was as if they didn’t care about the girl or the guards at all!  The innkeeper didn’t even look very friendly.

We needed to get out of sight with our wagon.  We needed to find Stark Thockwood.  We needed to fix our wagon. It was late afternoon already. I asked the innkeeper were the nearest livery was.

“Erm, it’s down the street there, take a left, then a right.  Only one in town.  Name of Geltman.”  His face betrayed nothing, like or dislike.

I left the inn and it’s brainless bunch of gapers and mutterers.  Humans!

I hopped back on the wagon and told Ord the directions.  We tucked around the corner and out of sight of the crowds, and looked for the livery.

It was exactly as I had hoped.  There was a wide gate to drive the wagon through, and around it was a high wooden fence.  Once we were in, we would be out of sight of the street, and could maybe deal with the bodies in a quieter way.

We pulled into the livery and I hopped off to go talk to the owner.  

Rattlin said, “Hey, Posy, that one guy followed us.”  He pointed through a crack in the fence to a moderately well dressed man who was now loitering outside the gate.

“Keep an eye on him,” I said.  “We’ll deal with him later.”

The owner, Geltman, was a burly, bearded man with kind eyes.  He looked like a man who had children, and they probably got the best of him at least three times a day.

“Do you have children?” I asked him.

He looked a bit surprised, but nodded. “Two boys and a girl.  How can I help you?”

I looked him right in the eye.  Now, you’d think that my being only three feet tall might have made this a problem, but my grandma said that if your eyes are strong enough, you can be as big as anyone.  I tried to look as serious as Gimil does, with a dose of his sternness.  Like Uncle Roondar looked at me when he was going out to fight goblins.  Serious. Firm.

“I have two young girls in that wagon who have been attacked by brigands.  I have the bodies of the guards who died defending them.  We slew the bandits who attacked them, but our cart was damaged.

“When we came into town, people seemed more upset that we brought them back than that they were almost all dead.  I’m not sure what we’re into, but we need help taking care of the bodies of the brave warriors who defended these girls, and the girls themselves.  Now, can you help us?”

He looked at me a moment, and then came to a decision. “Drive that wagon into the barn, there.  I’ll send for a priest who knows the guards, and we can put the girls in a room by themselves until I can find Innskip.”

“Innskip?  Who’s he?” I asked, running alongside him as he took big strides towards the barn door.

“Thockwood’s right hand man.  He’ll sort things out.”

“What’s going on, then?  Why don’t people care about the girls?”

“It’s a long story, miss, and I’ll tell you after we get this all taken care of.”

We drove the wagon into the barn, and Geltman sent a boy out to get the priest.  The girls were bundled into a small room in his house, and a woman warmed up something hot for them.

Rattlin said, “That guy is still there.”  

I pointed the man out to the livery man and he said, “That’s Innskip!  That’s good luck!”  He moved to wave him in and I stopped him.

“Wait.  First, tell me what’s going on.”

I don’t know where I got the strength to be so firm with Geltman.  I was really being bossy, but we needed to know what was going on, and it looked so far like while trying to do the right thing, we may have done the wrong thing, some how, even though it was the right thing, and how could these people be so mean about these young girls?  Mora and Noria weren’t bad, or evil.

Thinking back, I guess it was after we fought the bugbears that I got, well, more sure of myself.  When I joined this group, I thought that they had to be more experienced than I was, and I think they sort of saw me as a silly girl.  I noticed that after that fight, I felt stronger and Ord, Gimil and Rattlin felt differently about me.  I guess throwing myself in a bugbear’s way to help Ord really changed their minds about me.  Then again, maybe I learned The Look from Gimil.  

I’ll try to remember everything he told me.

Geltman said, “Well, I think Innskip can probably tell you more than I know, but I think I know why people were not happy to see you.

“You see, Thockwood was trying to bring Blaisingdell and Nulb closer together.  I think he thought that if he married his daughter to a prominent merchant in Blaisingdell, then things would be better between the towns.

“It wasn’t too long ago that Nulb and Blaisingdell had much trade going between them.  Nulb, as a town, is a lot more free than Blaisingdell, who we all think have a big stick up their… er, who are sort of rigid.”

“Rigid.  Right.” I nodded.  “So why the arranged marriage?”

“Well, since there was trouble with the temple years ago, Nulb has gotten a bad reputation, some of it deserved.  Since we are a little more lawless than Blaisingdell, occasionally we get bad elements in this town.  The low road to Dyvers and Greyhawk used to be a big trade route, but now it’s underused because of the bandits, because Nulb doesn’t have a big militia force to keep the road safe.

“People here in Nulb don’t think much of those in Blaisingdell, though.  So any attempt to reach out to Blaisingdell, well, wasn’t popular with most folks here.”

“How about you?  Did you like the idea?” I asked, trying to figure out why he was able to talk about it so even-handedly.

“I’m a merchant,” he shrugged. “Trade is good for me.  I’m not sure it would have worked, but it’s more forward thinking that anyone else in this town has been for years.”

“Should we get Innskip?” I asked.  “His boss has a stake in what’s happened.” 

Right now, I’m sitting in the livery back room with Mora and Noria, waiting for Innskip to make arrangements for the girls to have a room at the Inn until tomorrow.  We’re going to have dinner there.  Gimil has gone to see about getting the pelt from the bear tanned, and Rattlins’ goofing around.  Ord’s talking about the wagon with Geltman.  The day isn’t even over yet!_

Oghma


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## psychognome (Mar 17, 2002)

Must... have... more... Posy...
*shambles around, looking braindead*


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## Ziggy (Mar 18, 2002)

Jipeeeeee, another update !!!

Interesting twist on the story, I think Posy and her friends are going to be involved in some greater political game. This story arc looks great, if the new DM really is completely unexperienced (as I think Oghma said) that's great DM'ing.

.Ziggy


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## Darklone (Mar 18, 2002)

*Shambles and Shackles...*

There you are, expecting to be heroes but nooooo....

That new DM is good at the most important virtue of DMs: Destroying everything with a flick of his wrist what the players were hoping for ...

Hah... I can imagine the cute little Posy looking up to that merchant and giving orders... CUTE!


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## Horacio (Mar 18, 2002)

I have my Posy fix, now I'm happy!

[one minute later]

I need more Posy!!!!

  Horacio, Posy fanclub #2


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## gimil (Mar 19, 2002)

*new DM*

Bump!, not only am I getting posy back up there, but that is the new DM's last name! And he is doing a fantastic job with the plot, and boy is it twisted and interwoven!


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## Darklone (Mar 19, 2002)

*new DM*

He's called Forrest Bump?


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## Horacio (Mar 19, 2002)

*Re: new DM*



			
				Darklone said:
			
		

> *He's called Forrest Bump? *




Or Bump, James Bump?


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## Oghma (Mar 21, 2002)

No, that's his Dad's name .

His is Mike.

Oghma


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## Kael of the Blackrose (Mar 21, 2002)

*posy' dairy*

Cool 
I was real busy these days with game preperations but I finally caught with the story. Keep them cominghey are real good


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## Horacio (Mar 21, 2002)

Oghma said:
			
		

> *No, that's his Dad's name .
> 
> His is Mike.
> 
> Oghma *




Bump, Mike Bump? 

Well, we want more Posy, Oghma, pleeeeease...

   Horacio, Posy Fanclub #2


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## Darklone (Mar 21, 2002)

*Hehehehe*



			
				Horacio said:
			
		

> *
> 
> Bump, Mike Bump?
> 
> ...




Right. POSIFY!


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## Darklone (Mar 22, 2002)

*Another DM*

Here's a Mike, ehm Bump.


----------



## gimil (Mar 28, 2002)

Come on Oghma,we want more! more! more! By Clangedin's beard you'd think you didn't have any spare time or anything.


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## Darklone (Mar 28, 2002)

*Yeah*

By the brass balls of Clangeddin, give us more Posy!


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## Horacio (Mar 28, 2002)

By the strong arms of  Clangeddin, Oghma, we need an update!!!


----------



## psychognome (Mar 30, 2002)

By the gnomish underpanties of Posy! Oghma, I need my dose of Posy and the Gang!


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## Oghma (Apr 3, 2002)

It's been a busy couple of weeks.  I'm getting married at the end of this month, and it's at our house, and we're doing all sorts of stuff to get it ready.  It's eating in to my time, quiet a lot.

Luckily for Posy Fan Club members, Gimil has been urging me to write every time I talk to him.  You might want to vote him an honorary Posybadge!

I'll get to work.

For a little humor, check out this: Posy in the news 


Oghma


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## Darklone (Apr 3, 2002)

*Congratulations... and celebrations...*

Grats for the marriage... Not everyone is that brave anymore


----------



## Horacio (Apr 3, 2002)

Oghma said:
			
		

> *It's been a busy couple of weeks.  I'm getting married at the end of this month, and it's at our house, and we're doing all sorts of stuff to get it ready.  It's eating in to my time, quiet a lot.
> *




Congratulations!!!!!!


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## Ziggy (Apr 3, 2002)

Oghma said:
			
		

> *It's been a busy couple of weeks.  I'm getting married at the end of this month, and it's at our house, and we're doing all sorts of stuff to get it ready.  It's eating in to my time, quiet a lot.
> *




Congratulation with the marriage, it's quite a big step in a relationship. I can remember how I felt in those last hectic days before my own marriage, wish you all of luck !

.Ziggy


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## gimil (Apr 8, 2002)

*the lattest*

OK Oghma, I spoke to you last night about a new update for your readers... and you promised one soon! So...lets hear what new wardrobe Posy purchased.


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## Kael of the Blackrose (Apr 8, 2002)

*posy*

Congradulations!

I hope this news and your new marital status won't mean your permanent retirement from RPG!?


----------



## Dougal DeKree (Apr 9, 2002)

*oops, i'm late...*

...but congratulations, anyways 

May your relationship be as good as your storyhour 
(see, if you do more updates, your partner will become happier .)


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## Darklone (Apr 11, 2002)

*Calling Mr....*

BUMP!


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## psychognome (Apr 13, 2002)

Gently *BUMPS!* Posy.


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## Horacio (Apr 15, 2002)

A friendly *BUMP* for the cuttest gnome 

   Horacio, Posyfanclub #2


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## gimil (Apr 15, 2002)

Gimil beheads the giant, and gives Posy a bump.


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## gimil (Apr 19, 2002)

Come on Posy, put down your compac and write a little!


----------



## Darklone (Apr 22, 2002)

*And....*

another friendly bump!


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## Malin Genie (Apr 28, 2002)

*Almost at the bottom of the *second* page (gasp)*

BUMP

Long-time reader, first time poster.

Really enjoying the diaries, and you've inspired me to look at gnomes in a new (and favourable) light ^_^

Thanks!


----------



## Darklone (May 3, 2002)

*pooo-siiiiiii-fyyyyeeee!*

*taptaptap*


----------



## Horacio (May 5, 2002)

Poooooooooooossssssssyyyyy!
Wheeeeeeerrrrreeeeeee aaaaaaarrrrrrreee yyyyyyyyyooooooouuuuuuuuuu?


----------



## Oghma (May 8, 2002)

Just got back from my honeymoon in St. Thomas .

The past few weeks have been really hectic, as you can imagine.  The wedding was held at our home, we had about 70 people, and Gimil made a wonderful best man speech.  Ord and Rattlin we ushers, it was a small wedding party.

Things are starting to settle down, and I fear that if I don't post something, Gimil will show me just how far he can throw a gnome!  He may aim for a pricker bush, so I am putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard).

Oghma


----------



## Darklone (May 8, 2002)

Oghma said:
			
		

> *Just got back from my honeymoon in St. Thomas .
> The past few weeks have been really hectic, as you can imagine...*




A few weeks? Wow. Longest honeymoon I ever heard of! Salutations!


----------



## Horacio (May 12, 2002)

Glad you're back 
And best wishes for the after-honeymoon 

      Horacio, Posyfanclub member #2


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## Darklone (May 13, 2002)

*Mike*

Bump


----------



## Dougal DeKree (May 14, 2002)

*bumP*

or bUmp


----------



## Ziggy (May 17, 2002)

Posy, please come back, we miss you 

.Ziggy


----------



## Horacio (May 17, 2002)

Posy has left us


----------



## Oghma (May 18, 2002)

No, No! She hasn't left! She's just helping a friend out after his wedding...

Let me tell you, the wedding clean-up is more work than the wedding!  I may be able to get some time in this weekend.  Posy has been on my mind, and Gimil is working hard on your behalf. 

Oghma


----------



## Horacio (May 19, 2002)

Oghma said:
			
		

> *No, No! She hasn't left! She's just helping a friend out after his wedding...
> 
> Let me tell you, the wedding clean-up is more work than the wedding!  I may be able to get some time in this weekend.  Posy has been on my mind, and Gimil is working hard on your behalf.
> 
> Oghma *




I got married last year, just a year ago (hey, today is my first aniversaire!), so I know perfectly the cleaning-up job, it seems it will never finish. But it will finish, someday 

_Bon courage, mon ami_

           Horacio, Posyfanclub #2


----------



## Oghma (May 24, 2002)

More Posy, at last!

_Flocktime 11, night time

We left town.  While we were having dinner, and Innskip was filling us in on what the liveryman essentially told us, Rattlin was poisoned.  We aren’t sure if it was meant for Rattlin, since he steals food off others’ plates sometimes and drinks their drinks.  It could even have been aimed at me!  Having an invisible opponent spooked us too much to stay in town.  We feel more comfortable out here in the wild, with our senses alert and some traps set. 

After Rattlin got sick, we took all our stuff and I turned everyone invisible.  We snuck out the back door of the Inn, and met up outside the main road between Blaisingdell and Nulb.  We continued on invisible until the spells ran out, then ducked into the woods.  Hopefully we’ll be safe for a little bit, if our enemies think we are still at the Inn.  I tired, Diary, and a little spooked.  An invisible opponent!  Even though we use invisibility a fair amount, I haven’t thought of what it’s like to have it used against us!

We’re putting the dwarves on watch first, as usual, but Ord will be going later so he can rest to get some spells to help out Rattlin, who looks miserable.  I’m going to bed, since I don’t have many spells left either.  G’night, Diary!

Flocktime 12, late afternoon (fifth day of Harnekiah)

Nulb seems like a mix of boomtown, gambling den, and party-town gone to seed.  Things are just a little bit on the way down from what was probably a period of great prosperity.  You can tell by the little things, like the condition of the roads, the condition of the signs outside the shops.  The signs are pretty extravagant, but there are paint chips and dirt if you look closely.  If I lived here I’d go through this town with a mop and bucket, that’s for sure!  It will only get worse if people keep ignoring it.  Gnome villages may not look as ostentatious, but we’re cleaner and take pains with the little things, like a fresh coat of paint or fixing a broken hinge.

Enough about human sloppiness, though.  We snuck back into town and into our rooms in time to meet with Innskip.  I didn’t fill you in on what Innskip said, though it was pretty much the same as what the Geltman said.  Nulb and Blaisingdell are like the opposite sides of a coin.  Numb is all about freedom, do what you want, the individual over society.  Nulb has a large town council, with vigorous discussion and almost fights over the town’s progress. Blaisingdell is about being organized, duty to others, and the society over the individual.  Blaisingdell has a lord to which it owes fealty and there is little discussion over the future of the town, though it sounds like the lord is pretty aware of what is important.  There has always been friendly rivalry between the towns, but with Nulb’s decline, there has been increasing acrimony over Blaisingdell’s continued success and Nulb’s decline.  Nulb folk are jealous of Blaisingdell, because Blaisingdell hasn’t had to deal with the events around the Temple of Elemental Evil, and trade hasn’t suffered in Blaisingdell like it has in Nulb.  Nulb also has ahd, and continues to have, incursions of monsters, but it appears their response to it has not been very organized.  (I think people in Nulb are just looking for excuses, and I can tell Ord and Gimil feel the same way.  Rattlin, well, he’s just trying to figure out if can turn this to his advantage.  Typical.)

Innskip says that his master, Stark Thockwood, has been involved in trying to influence events to make Nulb a little more like Blaisingdell.  There were, for a while, skirmishes between Blaisingdell and Nulb, and Nulb lost these so handily that it appears that they sort of started to see more along Blaisingdell’s thinking, but there is resentment still.  Thockwood decided to marry his daughter, who is well liked here, to a prominent merchant’s son (Joris Kaboth is the merchant) in Blaisingdell. This is a good idea, but there is a part of town that reacted violently against it.  These folks are angry with Noria, and deem her a traitor.

With our entrance into town, we brought in some dead residents of Nulb, a traitor to Nulb, and a reminder of Nulb’s inability to take care of it’s own.

We seemed to have really stepped in it.

Innskip will set up a meeting with us and Stark, if we’d like, but it will have to be tonight.

I asked Innskip for some merchants we could trust.  Gimil wanted to trade some weapons, look at armor and get his bear cloak made (he kept the bearskin for the bear, I wanted to buy some scrolls that would let us see invisible, and we needed to get our wagon fixed.  Geltman may have already gotten that started, though.

First we ent to Geltman, to see what had been going on with our wgaon.  He said, Bill the Mortician had taken care of the bodies and that our wagon was currently at Sariden the wheelwright’s.  Wonderful!  W e thanked him and went on to the next stop, Harold the Tanner.

Harold was very impressed by the size of the pelt.  He said it was the biggest bearskin he had ever seen, and he’d get to work on it right away.  Gimil paid him extra to hurry it up.  Then we went to the Gimil and Ord toy store.

The metalsmith there was a man named Peller, and he, Gimil, and Ord got along like a house on fire.  They talked weapons and armor and they shared what they had and it got all too dull for me and Rattlin.  We had five swords and five crossbows from the bandit attacks we had foiled, so Rattlin and I went to bring it from the wheelwright’s.  When we came back, Peller said that some of those weapons were made by him!  We asked about that, and he said that a halfling named Kellum had bought thirty swords just like the ones we had taken off the bandits about 3 weeks ago!

The good news is that the sword and chain shirt that the leader of the bandits (Izbe) was wearing were stronger magic than anything we had!  The long sword was too good for Peller to buy, but Ord was able to wear the chain shirt and be better protected! Yay!.  He gave his other magical chain shirt to Gimil, so Gimil’s armor got better too.

Enry the Wizard was next, and I was able to get him to make a few scrolls with spell to see invisible on them.  The potions we had found with Izbe were cure potions, and we had to pay through the nose to find that out.  Wizards!  We asked the wizard about poisons, and he thought that in coul dbe something called darkreaver poison, which is pretty uncommon and difficult to make, but that there was a Druid named Plessic that roams the area that would know more about it.

We’re about to leave with Innskip to go to Thockwood’s, to talk to him.  We’ll eat dinner there, I think, and then act again as if we are going to stay in this nice room at the inn.

Flocktime 12, waiting to sneak out.

Well!  Thockwood was appropriately grateful.  He gave us one hundred platinum pieces for rescuing his daughter!  We talked more about the rivalry between the two towns, its origins, and solutions.  Unfortunately, we came up with the idea of using Thockwood’s next merchant trip as bait to track down the bandits.  We’re to hire on as caravan guards in a few days to travel to Blaisingdell, which means we have a couple of days to waste in Nulb, armpit of the Flanaess. Yay.

Get this, though.  As we were leaving, there was news of this duel to the death thing that was going on in the central square tomorrow at noon.  As we were leaving, there was a man in a red sash and dressed in black that passed us and gave us a good hard look.  Interesting.  We went invisible and came back to camp, where I was reunited with Ember after a long day.

Flocktime 13, (sixth day of Harnekiah)

After the Harnekiah ritual of the morning, Rattlin sneaked back to watch the fight.  We’re waiting to hear back from him, because it’s a little late for him to be back (it’s almost dark, and the duel was at noon)!_

Oghma


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## Oghma (May 24, 2002)

I'm going to re-post the character stats I have, as a refresher.  I'll advance them in level in a bit.

*Gimil Tor*

Male Dwarf Bbn2/Ftr1; medium sized humanoid (dwarf); HD 2d12+1d10+15; hp 40; Init +4 (+4 Dex,); Speed 30 ft; AC 15 (+4 Dex, +1 ring (def)); Attack (masterwork great sword) +8 melee, or mighty masterwork composite longbow (+8); Dmg greatsword 2d6 +4 (Crit 19-20/x2), arrow d8+4 (Crit x3); SV Fort +10, Ref +4, Will +2; AL CN Str 18, Dex 18, Con 20, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 10.

Languages Spoken: Common, Dwarf languages 

Skills and Feats: Climb +7, Handle Animal +2, Hide +5, Jump +7, Listen +8, Move Silently +6, Ride +5, Search +3, Spot +3, Swim 0, Wilderness Lore +8

Dodge, Power Attack, Track

Special Abilities and Qualities: Dwarf racial qualities, Barbarian

Magic Items:

Ring protection +1

Personal Information:

_Gimil Tor comes from a long lineage of Battle Lords.  His father Millodur, his grandfather Dwalnir, and his Great Beard before him were mighty slayers of Giants and their kin.  Gimil’s clan Torheim and their delve brothers Clan Tungheim shared the Great Hall of Magnethane.  The Clans prospered much from their relationship, and many great items, weapons, and tomes of knowledge were created in Magnethane.

However, through the ages their prosperity did not go unnoticed, and consequently the holdings and hills were coveted by many that dwelt within the region, both above and below the mountains.  These bands raided an fought the Clans, but were never considered a serious threat.

Then in the era that came to be known as the Cataclysm, a colossal upheaval shook the foundations of the Delve.  Through a rift that opened in the earth came giants, with beards of flame and greatswords the size of three tall dwarves.  The Clans were well equipped to fight these foes, despite the damage done to the Delve, and they did so. For the next year, the clans held the giants at bay in many mighty battles, where the Battle Lords repeatedly showed their prowess.  A Great War with the giant was not beyond their means.

However, the following year the fire giant king, Infernimus, struck an alliance with evil mindlords that had opened a rift from another plane nearby.  These “Ithillids”, as they were called, soon tipped the scales of war in favor of the giants and in a final battle most of the dwarves lost their minds or their lives.  The carnage that took place was unimaginable and the Clans were decimated.  The great halls, treasuries, and learning centers of the Delve were sacked nd looted.  Out of the over 15,000 dwarves living at Magnethane, only 100 escaped death or slavery.  

They fled with what little they could carry to a small valley several leagues away.  Many of the escapees suffered mental afflictions caused by the mind flayer’s insidious assault.  With the loss of Gimil’s grandfather, his father forged his great sorrow and loss into an implacable hatred for his foes.  He instilled this hatred into his small son Gimil, whom he referred to as his ‘little hammer”.  Throughout his childhood Gimil heard, recited and learned all that was left of his clan lore, for oral transmission of their history was the only method left to the survivors.

They spent the next thirty years fighting skirmishes and harrying the creatures that called the great hall theirs.

Every few months the refugees moved to new camps, never far from Magnethane but out of the reach of the invaders.  This nomadic lifestyle taught much to Gimil and the other survivors, but also omitted much.  Many of them lived a hand to mouth existence, barely able to feed themselves, their lore and learning gradually disappearing in the need to survive.

After his passage into full Beardhood, Gimil went on raids with his father and soon became the pride of the Clan.  In him they saw the reincarnation of his Great Grand Beard, because of his fighting prowess and natural skill.  His style was more primal, a rage smoldering inside him that was fearsome to behold when it overtook him.

Impossibly, the following year everything got worse.  A large marauding band of ogres, orcs, and misfit humans found the camp, and on that dark night ambushed the refugees, killing everyone, plundering everything, and leaving the decapitated bodies to rot in the morning sun.  Gimil had been on a lone hunting trip and returned to find the carnage left there by the marauding band.

He fled.  He ran for he knew not how long, nor how far, running until his boots were worn through and his feet were blood shreds.  Then he collapsed.

Gimil awoke nest to a stream. He looked up to see the face of a fellow dwarf and hear him exclaim, “By Clanggedin’s silver beard, you’re alive!”  

Ord, a priest of Clangeddin, administered and tended to his wounds for the next week.  After much time, conversation, and companionship, trust and a friendship developed between the two.  Ord helped heal Gimil’s other wounds, the unseen ones.  Travelling into the lowlands, he met Rattlin, a halfling, and Posy, a gnome.  Rattlin’s mischievous ways and Posy’s sassy mouth gradually brought to Gimil an appreciation of a more civilized, kinder world.

Now Gimil’s predjudices are slowly dissolving, and with his friends/ help, someday hopes to find his father’s great sword, Reaver, and take back Magnethane.  He still burns with the desire to exact vengeance on the Delves current inhabitants.

_

*Posy Feytickle *

Female Gnome Sor 3; small sized humanoid (gnome); HD 3d4 +16; hp 22; Init +3 (+3 Dex,); Speed 20 ft; AC 14 (+4 Dex); Attack (dagger) +3 melee, or thrown dagger +5 or light crossbow (+5)(+10); Dmg dagger d4 +1 (Crit 19-20/x2), crossbow bolt d8 (Crit 19-20 x2); SV Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +6; AL NG Str 13, Dex 16, Con 18, Int 16, Wis 16, Cha 18.

Languages Spoken: Common, Dwarf, Draconic, Gnome, Orc

Skills and Feats: Bluff +6, Concentration +10, Diplomacy +5, Hide +8, Listen +6, Search +4, Sense Motive +7, Spellcraft +7, Spot +5.

Spell Focus (Evocation), Enlarge Spell

Special Abilities and Qualities: Gnome racial qualities, Familiar Ember (dog) +2 Sense Motive, Spells

Spells: 0-level: Detect Magic, Disrupt Undead, Flare, Light, Read Magic. 1st level: Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Sleep. (Also, from Gnome special abilities, once/day Dancing lights, Ghost Sound, and Prestidigitation)

Magic Items:

Potion Cure light wounds, Wand Magic Missile (1st level) 6 charges

Personal Information:

_Posy Feytickle’s great-great grandma Bonicka fell in love with an unknown member of the fey races and since then, there has always been a sorcerer in her family. The community accepts this with equanimity, so Posy’s upbringing was no different than any other gnome child’s. As soon as her powers began to appear, she was given training by a local human wizard, Felster, who was kind enough to put up with her incessant questions and blunt commentary. (“Boy, Felster, I can see what you had for lunch. Wash your beard.” 

Posy was well liked by her gnome community of Treedimple, but Posy was a bit outspoken and occasionally ruffled some feathers. She always liked stories of adventures and had several adventurers in her family. For the sanity of the community, she was encouraged by all to find her own path by various subterfuges and advice. She was contemplating this when she met her companions Gimil, Ord, and Ratlin.


Player Notes:

I created Posy to be an evoker-type, and the Spell Focus (Evocation) was not as useful at low levels as it’s wound up being at mid levels, since there aren’t that many Evocation spells in the low level sorcerer’s repertoire (Magic Missile has no save). I took Enlarge Spell to get more use out of the spells she had, doubling the range of her cantrips and eventually her other spells. 

At this point in her life, Posy is in the middle of the Order of the Risen Star adventure._


*Rattlin Shadowlurk*

Male Halfling Rog2/Sor1; small sized humanoid (halfling); HD 2d6+1d4+6; hp 19; Init +4 (+4 Dex,); Speed 20 ft; AC 19 (+5 Dex, +1 size +3 armor); Attack (masterwork short sword) +6 melee, or mighty masterwork composite shortbow (+9); Dmg short sword d6 +3 (Crit 19-20/x2), arrow d6+2 (Crit x3); SV Fort +3, Ref +9, Will +3; AL NG Str 16, Dex 20, Con 14, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 16.

Languages Spoken: Common, Halfling languages (incl dwarvish)

Skills and Feats: Bluff +8, Climb +9, Concentration +5, Disable Device +8*, Hide +15, Intimidate +6, Jump +9, Listen +9, Move Silently +11, Open Lock +11*, Pickpocket +6, Search +7, Spot +8#, Tumble +11, Use Magic device +5

* Masterwork Theives tools
# +2 Spot from Familiar

Feats: Point Blank Shot, Precise shot

Special Abilities and Qualities: Halfling racial qualities, Rogue, Sorcerer

Spells:  True Strike, Magic Missile

Familiar: Falcon, Milleneum


I don't have a good copy of Ord, I'll have to find it.



Oghma


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## Horacio (May 25, 2002)

Posy is back !
Posy is back!

_Horacio dances happily_

Posy is back!

         Horacio, Posy fanclub #2


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## wolff96 (May 25, 2002)

*ahem* 

Wooooooooot!

Good to see Posy back on the boards.

With all the talk of Nulb and the bits you've mentioned about the temple, is there a chance your DM is heading you guys towards RttToEE?


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## Ziggy (May 25, 2002)

Finally !

I wonder where this adventure is going, but time will tell...

.Ziggy


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## Oghma (May 26, 2002)

Well, we actually were planning on doing RTtToEE, but we switched DMs at Verbobonc.  (Rattlin's Dad's death was the excuse to get is up there for the Temple.)  We wound up not really feeling like spending ten levels in the temple, and the new DM took over and started this story line.  We integrated the current adventure into it's surroundings, but never ran the Temple.

I'll be a little more regular in my posts.  The next installment we call Rattlin's big adventure...

Oghma


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## Oghma (May 30, 2002)

Just to let you all know, I've posted the Compleat Posy's Diary to the Story Hour page.  Here's the link .

Oghma


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## Horacio (May 30, 2002)

Hey, Oghma, if you want, I can pass it to pdf for next update of the page. Non Windows users would prefer it in pdf...

So, if you want, before sending Morrus next update (next month, I suppose), send me it and I will pdf it.


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## gimil (Jun 3, 2002)

*The not so latest updates!*

You know, I am considering learning the art of the written tongue so that we don't have to wait for Posy to feel like writing in her diary for the next installment!!!


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## Gez (Jun 4, 2002)

I've begun to read that storyhour as well, and nearly fell in love with Posy... Everyone who knows me knows that I'm fond of gnomes, and Posy' really charming. What's her phone number ?

My first D&D character was a gnome wizard. She's not as cute and kindly as Posy, though. The... unpleasantness... of adventures make her really grumpy.



> _Originally posted by Gimil:_
> [qb]You know, I am considering learning the art of the written tongue so that we don't have to wait for Posy to feel like writing in her diary for the next installment!!![/qb]




It would be fun if Gimil became a diarist as well... I'm picturing the dwarf barbarian writing things like:
_"Deer Diary,
Today I've begun to learn to rite with Posy. Im still a beginer and make lots of mistakes. Posy then use her magic trick to circle in red all my erors, that is umiliating !
She told me that if I wanted to be a good riter, I woud have to rite every day and that having a diary is a good training. So Ive begun to rite a diary. I still dont sea why I should rite "deer diary" eech time I begin to write again, but she told me its essential.
If I become a talanted riter, Ill be able to rite down the history of my clan. Thats what I want to do. But I dont want to rite it badly and make grammer erors, so Ill train with a silly diary before."_

That would be kinda fun.


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## Oghma (Jun 5, 2002)

Heh, I considered that too, but the font would have to be just right.



d _ E_ a *r* D i A _*r*_ _Y_


hee hee

I'm chugging away at Rattlin's big adventure.


Oghma


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## Gez (Jun 5, 2002)

Oghma said:
			
		

> *Heh, I considered that too, but the font would have to be just right.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




That would be quite a pain to write !


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## Horacio (Jun 5, 2002)

Gez said:
			
		

> *It would be fun if Gimil became a diarist as well... I'm picturing the dwarf barbarian writing things like:
> "Deer Diary,
> Today I've begun to learn to rite with Posy. Im still a beginer and make lots of mistakes. Posy then use her magic trick to circle in red all my erors, that is umiliating !
> She told me that if I wanted to be a good riter, I woud have to rite every day and that having a diary is a good training. So Ive begun to rite a diary. I still dont sea why I should rite "deer diary" eech time I begin to write again, but she told me its essential.
> ...




I would really love such a diray!
It would be wonderful, having Posy's pov and Gimil pov in parallel 
And I'd love if Gimil used that _riting stile_


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## Oghma (Jun 10, 2002)

*Blurb me, baby*

I was looking over what I put on the Story hour page and I don't think I've done a good enough job explaining Posy's Diary.  Here's what I have:



> Posy's Diary is the story of a young gnome sorceress and her companions as they travel through Greyhawk, having adventures. Strong characterizations and the main character's point of view and commentary make this coming of age Story Hour enjoyable.




Is that good enough?  What would _*you*_, my loyal readers say about Posy's Diary? 

Help me out?

Oghma


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## Darklone (Jun 10, 2002)

What I would say? Going to town with Posy! Shopping in the dungeon! Having tea with a dragon!


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## Horacio (Jun 10, 2002)

Horacio also wants to see Gimil's version of the story, in _duarf riting stile_


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## madriel (Jun 13, 2002)

Hi, Oghma.  Just read Posy's Diary for the first time today and I love it.  Posy's awesome.  Now _that's_ how a gnome should be roleplayed!  I wish my character could adventure with Posy.


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## gimil (Jun 20, 2002)

well..........


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## gimil (Jun 27, 2002)

*more!!!*

Hey Posy I'd like to vote for more story in your story hour. More fights, more character building, and even more flufy girlie girl stuff.
                         one mad Dwarf


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## Corwyn (Jun 29, 2002)

More Posy! More Posy !! More Posy!!

(One yells as more people flock behind posy's banner.)


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## psychognome (Jun 30, 2002)

O' Posy, where art thou?


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## Horacio (Jul 20, 2002)

Oh, my dear Posy, so in the last 20 days, while I was out, nobody has remembered to bump you...

Don't worry, my gnomic friend, I'm back...

BUMP!

Horacio, Posy fanclub member #2


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## gimil (Jul 29, 2002)

*memories*

I'm sorry to say it but i'm afraid posy has found another, she has found this new foul creation called Never Winter Nights and no longer has time for us.... Posy come back!!!!!


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## Horacio (Jul 30, 2002)

Posy left us  

Come back with us, Posy...


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## madriel (Jul 30, 2002)

*Re: memories*



			
				gimil said:
			
		

> *I'm sorry to say it but i'm afraid posy has found another, she has found this new foul creation called Never Winter Nights and no longer has time for us.... Posy come back!!!!! *




So?  I've had NWN only a week!  I haven't disappeared.  I've been waiting so patiently.  Oh, Posy, how could you do this to us?  How could you abandon your adoring fans waiting for any mere trifle of your attention.

*sniffles*


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## Dougal DeKree (Jul 30, 2002)

*NWN*

NWN, which is the abbreviation for *N*eural brain*W*ashing for *N*ot-computergameaddictedpeople ...

t'is EVIL i tell you! Does anyone have any dispel magics left?
To me it seems that this evil plot of the game-industry first used "suggestion" on Oghma to give NWN a try and thus willingly objecting to be "charme gnome"d into wasting all spare time without any social activities, let alone roleplaying!

We HAVE to help her BREAK this charm! Else we will have no more Posy any more.

Come and join my Anti CoMputer-rpg lEague, short: ACME 

Dougal DeKree, worried gnomish Illusionist

P.S.: They don't even have illusions included in NWN, what a crap!


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## Darklone (Jul 30, 2002)

Po-oooosify, popopopopooooooo-sify!

Gimme that cute gnomygirl or I'll add a big bad evil bug to the next NWN patch 

Well, I could at least try


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## Ferret (Aug 1, 2002)

MORE please!


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## Ferret (Aug 1, 2002)

*If Gimil was Elmer fud*

Deew Diawy, Today I've begun to weawn to wite wif Posy. Im stiww a beginew and make wots of mistakes. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit! Posy then use hew magic twick to ciwcwe in wed aww my ewows, that is umiwiating ! She towd me that if I wanted to be a good witew, I woud have to wite evewy day and that having a diawy is a good twaining. So Ive begun to wite a diawy. I stiww dont sea why I shouwd wite "deew diawy" eech time I begin to wwite again, but she towd me its essentiaw. If I become a tawanted witew, Iww be abwe to wite down the histowy of my cwan, uh-hah-hah-hah. Dats what I want to do. But I dont want to wite it badwy and make gwammew ewows, so Iww twain wif a siwwy diawy befowe."


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## Ferret (Aug 5, 2002)

PPPPPPPPPPOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSSSYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY? PPPPPPPPLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS??????????????


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## Dougal DeKree (Aug 12, 2002)

**whispering**

posy?


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## Corwyn (Aug 14, 2002)

It's to far down. 

Up and up we go.


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## Ferret (Aug 14, 2002)

YAY! Wait, no posy? AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH


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## Ferret (Aug 16, 2002)

Was there am earltier posy post?


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## Ferret (Aug 19, 2002)

For shame posy is on the bottom of the page!


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## Dougal DeKree (Aug 21, 2002)

*oh bugger!*

Posy forgot us... she must have married an Illithid who brainwashed her! that's it! ;o)

They are out there, traying to get each one of us, i tell you!!!

Dougal DeKree, paranoid gnomish Illusionist


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## Corwyn (Sep 6, 2002)

Page 3 !?!?!

That can't be.
That isn't so! I disbelive it.

Hmmm Page 1.... There that is much better.


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## Thorntangle (Sep 23, 2002)

Has anyone seen Posy?


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## Horacio (Sep 24, 2002)

I miss the cute gnome girl...


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## Darklone (Sep 24, 2002)

Horacio said:
			
		

> *I miss the cute gnome girl...  *




Me too :/


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## Ferret (Oct 20, 2002)

*Sobs* I'm not even going, to think where this has been.....


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## Gez (Oct 21, 2002)

Posy ain't back! Posy's Diary, Old and Abandonned!


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## psychognome (Nov 10, 2002)

*BUMP!* 
Posy, please come back! We need you...


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## Thorntangle (Nov 10, 2002)

Oghma announced he had returned, but alas, Posy is still neglected. Forgotten. Discarded.


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## Oghma (Nov 10, 2002)

Hey now.

I'm playing Posy today, I should have something later in the week.

Posy hasn't been neglected.  How could anyone neglect her?

She's currently almost 10th level, fighting giants with the boys.

--dm


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## Darklone (Nov 11, 2002)

That means... POSIFY!


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## Horacio (Nov 12, 2002)

Oghma said:
			
		

> *Hey now.
> 
> I'm playing Posy today, I should have something later in the week.
> 
> ...




Does that means we will have more Posy's diary?

GREAT!


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## Dougal DeKree (Nov 14, 2002)

*Yipee!*

Maybe if we all try and chant together Posy will appear and give us more Posy?  

Pooosyyy! come out of hiding! 

Dougal DeKree, retired gnomish Illusionist


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## Horacio (Nov 14, 2002)

*Re: Yipee!*



			
				Dougal DeKree said:
			
		

> *
> 
> Pooosyyy! come out of hiding!
> *




Pooosyyy! come out of hiding! 
Pooosyyy! come out of hiding! 
Pooosyyy! come out of hiding! 
Pooosyyy! come out of hiding! 
Pooosyyy! come out of hiding!


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## Gez (Nov 14, 2002)

*Re: Re: Yipee!*

_
Pooosyyy! come out of hiding! 
Pooosyyy! come out of hiding! 
Pooosyyy! come out of hiding! 
Pooosyyy! come out of hiding! 
Pooosyyy! come out of hiding! 
Pooosyyy! come out of hiding! 
Pooosyyy! come out of hiding! 
Pooosyyy! come out of hiding! 
Pooosyyy! come out of hiding! 
Pooosyyy! come out of hiding! 
Pooosyyy! come out of hiding! 
Pooosyyy! come out of hiding! 
Pooosyyy! come out of hiding! 
Pooosyyy! come out of hiding! 
Pooosyyy! come out of hiding!  
_


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## Oghma (Nov 15, 2002)

Posification is happening....

Oghma


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## Oghma (Nov 15, 2002)

_Flocktime 11, night time

We left town.  While we were having dinner, and Innskip was filling us in on what the liveryman essentially told us, Rattlin was poisoned!  He kept throwing up, and Ord did some sort of healing, and he was able to tell it wasn’t just bad food.  We aren’t sure if it was meant for Rattlin, since he steals food off others’ plates sometimes and drinks their drinks.  It could even have been aimed at me!  Having an invisible opponent spooked us too much to stay in town.  We feel more comfortable out here in the wild, with our senses alert and some traps set. 

After Rattlin got sick, we took all our stuff and I turned everyone invisible.  We snuck out the back door of the Inn, and met up outside the main road between Blaisingdell and Nulb.  We continued on invisible until the spells ran out, then ducked into the woods.  Hopefully we’ll be safe for a little bit, if our enemies think we are still at the Inn.  I tired, Diary, and a little spooked.  An invisible opponent!  Even though we use invisibility a fair amount, I haven’t thought of what it’s like to have it used against us!

We’re putting the dwarves on watch first, as usual, but Ord will be going later so he can rest to get some spells to help out Rattlin, who looks miserable.  I’m going to bed, since I don’t have many spells left either.  G’night, Diary!

Flocktime 12, late afternoon (fifth day of Harnekiah)

Nulb seems like a mix of boomtown, gambling den, and party-town gone to seed.  Things are just a little bit on the way down from what was probably a period of great prosperity.  You can tell by the little things, like the condition of the roads, the condition of the signs outside the shops.  The signs are pretty extravagant, but there are paint chips and dirt if you look closely.  If I lived here I’d go through this town with a mop and bucket, that’s for sure!  It will only get worse if people keep ignoring it.  Gnome villages may not look as ostentatious, but we’re cleaner and take pains with the little things, like a fresh coat of paint or fixing a broken hinge.

Enough about human sloppiness, though.  We snuck back into town and into our rooms in time to meet with Innskip.  I didn’t fill you in on what Innskip said, though it was pretty much the same as what the Geltman said.  Nulb and Blaisingdell are like the opposite sides of a coin.  Numb is all about freedom, do what you want, the individual over society.  Nulb has a large town council, with vigorous discussion and almost fights over the town’s progress. Blaisingdell is about being organized, duty to others, and the society over the individual.  Blaisingdell has a lord to which it owes fealty and there is little discussion over the future of the town, though it sounds like the lord is pretty aware of what is important.  There has always been friendly rivalry between the towns, but with Nulb’s decline, there has been increasing acrimony over Blaisingdell’s continued success and Nulb’s decline.  Nulb folk are jealous of Blaisingdell, because Blaisingdell hasn’t had to deal with the events around the Temple of Elemental Evil, and trade hasn’t suffered in Blaisingdell like it has in Nulb.  Nulb also has ahd, and continues to have, incursions of monsters, but it appears their response to it has not been very organized.  (I think people in Nulb are just looking for excuses, and I can tell Ord and Gimil feel the same way.  Rattlin, well, he’s just trying to figure out if can turn this to his advantage.  Typical.)

Innskip says that his master, Stark Thockwood, has been involved in trying to influence events to make Nulb a little more like Blaisingdell.  There were, for a while, skirmishes between Blaisingdell and Nulb, and Nulb lost these so handily that it appears that they sort of started to see more along Blaisingdell’s thinking, but there is resentment still.  Thockwood decided to marry his daughter, who is well liked here, to a prominent merchant’s son (Joris Kaboth is the merchant) in Blaisingdell. This is a good idea, but there is a part of town that reacted violently against it.  These folks are angry with Noria, and deem her a traitor.

With our entrance into town, we brought in some dead residents of Nulb, a traitor to Nulb, and a reminder of Nulb’s inability to take care of it’s own.

We seemed to have really stepped in it.

Innskip will set up a meeting with Stark and ourselves, if we’d like, but it will have to be tonight.

I asked Innskip for some merchants we could trust.  Gimil wanted to trade some weapons, look at armor and get his bear cloak made (he kept the bearskin for the bear, I wanted to buy some scrolls that would let us see invisible, and we needed to get our wagon fixed.  Geltman may have already gotten that started, though.

First we went to Geltman, to see what had been going on with our wagon.  He said, Bill the Mortician had taken care of the bodies and that our wagon was currently at Sariden the wheelwright’s.  Wonderful!  W e thanked him and went on to the next stop, Harold the Tanner.

Harold was very impressed by the size of the pelt.  He said it was the biggest bearskin he had ever seen, and he’d get to work on it right away.  Gimil paid him extra to hurry it up.  Then we went to the Gimil and Ord toy store.

The metalsmith there was a man named Peller, and he, Gimil, and Ord got along like a house on fire.  They talked weapons and armor and they shared what they had and it got all too dull for Rattlin and me.  We had five swords and five crossbows from the bandit attacks we had foiled, so Rattlin and I went to bring it from the wheelwright’s.  When we came back, Peller said that he made some of those weapons!  We asked about that, and he said that a halfling named Kellum had bought thirty swords just like the ones we had taken off the bandits about 3 weeks ago!

The good news is that the sword and chain shirt that the leader of the bandits (Izbe) was wearing was stronger magic than anything we had!  The long sword was too good for Peller to buy, but Ord was able to wear the chain shirt and be better protected! Yay!.  He gave his other magical chain shirt to Gimil, so Gimil’s armor got better too.

Enry the Wizard was next, and I was able to get him to make a few scrolls with spell to see invisible on them.  The potions we had found with Izbe were cure potions, and we had to pay through the nose to find that out.  Wizards!

We’re about to leave with Innskip to go to Thockwood’s, to talk to him.  We’ll eat dinner there, I think, and then act again as if we are going to stay in this nice room at the inn.  Then we'll leave again, to avoid our assasin's further attempts on our lives.  Besides, this town still isn't too sure about us, either...

More later, Diary!
_


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## Dougal DeKree (Nov 15, 2002)

*Weeeeyyy!!!*

It worked! Finally i can revel in my addiction again...  

Thanks, Oghma! 

And keep on updating!  

Your fellow gnome

Dougal


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## Horacio (Nov 15, 2002)

Posy is back!!!!!!


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## Krellic (Nov 15, 2002)

Just when you thought it was safe to go back on the message boards...

Nice to see Posy back, at last...


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## Darklone (Nov 15, 2002)

POSY! *SCHMACK*


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## Gez (Nov 15, 2002)

Finally !

Thanks, Oghma. Posy's comeback is excellent news, we can never have too many gnomes on these boards !


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## Ziggy (Nov 15, 2002)

Thank you Oghma, when I almost had given up, you came back. 

.Ziggy


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## gimil (Nov 20, 2002)

Yes, Posy is hopefully back for good! Gimil is proud. (wry grin)


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## Corwyn (Nov 23, 2002)

We can't have the story slip down so far now that Posy is back.
*Bump*


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## Oghma (Nov 24, 2002)

I just want to pass on the word.

Gimil is the proud father of 4 lb. 14 oz. 18 inch Meghan Rae, his firstborn.

She was born this morning at around 3am.


Oghma


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## psychognome (Nov 24, 2002)

Congrats to Gimil! 
Nice to see that Posy's back!


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## Gez (Nov 25, 2002)

Oghma said:
			
		

> *I just want to pass on the word.
> 
> Gimil is the proud father of 4 lb. 14 oz. 18 inch Meghan Rae, his firstborn.
> 
> ...




Gimil or Gimil's player ? It seems rather the latter case. Bah, congrats anyway.


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## Darklone (Nov 26, 2002)

Another congrats, Gimil! How's her beard ?


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## Corwyn (Nov 26, 2002)

Congrats aswell Gimil !!


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## Corwyn (Dec 11, 2002)

This needs to be admired by the masses. Tales this good don't appear everyday.


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## gimil (Dec 11, 2002)

*posting*

I agree Corwyn, and I bug Oghma (Posy),offline even more than online to post more threads... But alas he is like me, to many logs in the fire.


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## gimil (Dec 31, 2002)

Posy! put your mirror away and write to your lonely diary!


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## Gez (Apr 28, 2003)

Bump.


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## Corwyn (Jun 25, 2003)

A bump because we all Love Posy!!!

And she should be rememberd by being read.


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## weiknarf (Feb 25, 2004)

BUMP


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## Murasame (Aug 17, 2007)

Bump!


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