# Journal of Malorus the Lightbearer



## Droid101 (Oct 11, 2004)

Hi all, this is my second story hour.  This is told from the point of view of a character I am playing in my friend's campaign.  He is a human paladin of the God of the Sun, Luminor.


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## Droid101 (Oct 11, 2004)

The Journal of Malorus the Lightbearer
From the pen of Malorus

*1st Entry*

I never knew my parents.  I feel I should start there, as it as good a place as any.

All I can remember from my childhood was the clanging of steel against steel, and fire.  The clergymen who found me abandoned in the forest say that they found a burning house nearby, with two burned bodies inside.  Presumably my parents.

One day, I’ll find out what happened.  I hope.

But the church was good to me.  They took me in and made me one of their own.  I trained and followed the teachings and edicts of Luminor, Lord of the Sun.  It was apparent to the priests that I was chosen.  Chosen by the Sun Lord to be a holy warrior.  One who would spread the word of good and be a bastion of the Light.  And so when I graduated from my training, they bestowed upon me the title of Lightbearer.  I never knew my last name, only my first; Malorus.  Lightbearer seemed fitting, so I wore the title proudly.


*2nd Entry*

The church of Luminor had a special guest over.  Two emissaries from the nearby elven kingdom of Everlorn.  They came on behalf of the church of Stormwind, the elven God of War.  Our two churches have had a good relationship in the past, and I believe we owe them a favor.  Ekitar and Nei Lorn were their names.  Ekitar was a tracker, I believe.  Lorn was a warpriest of Stormwind.

They wanted me to go with them to stop a group of goblins from expanding.  Ekitar is a member of a resistance organization against this growing goblin threat.  The goblins have a new outpost that is a little too close to the city for comfort.  I agreed to go with them, and I also went to my friend Lasalerus’ house, to get him to come along.  He is a student of the Double Dragon clan.  Some kind of mind-over-matter organization.  They fight for the good of mankind, so that makes them a friend in my book.

Lasalerus’ little crystal thing answered the door.  How a crystal has legs, I’ll never know.  He agreed to come with us.

Lorn’s cousin also came.  He was half-elf, half-human.  Seemed a little shady to me.  I decided to give him a chance.


*3rd Entry*

Combat.  My first taste of real hand-to-hand.  I never thought it would feel so natural.  My flail seemed like an extension of my body.  Control I thought would fall apart when not in the sparring tent.  But not so.  I downed several goblins myself.

With Ekitar tracking, we were able to find this goblin encampment.  Lorn’s cousin wasn’t so sneaky, and was spotted.  Two groups of goblins (with a couple of hobgoblins) found us.  We attacked them.  One of them got away.  I took a nasty crossbow bolt from that one, he was up in a tree, I think.

Hopefully tomorrow we can eradicate the rest of the goblin camp.


*4th Entry*

Lorn’s cousin was gone.  Coward.  I don’t put up with that kind of attitude.  Not with the people that my life depends on.  Not a chance.  I’m glad he’s gone.

The goblin camp was abandoned.  Looks like they we scared them off with our show of power.  I didn’t expect to actually destroy the camp, but we did.  Pushed over all the tents, everything.

On the way back to Enari (where I stay at the church of Luminor) we ran into a strange scene.  Some man was in the middle of the road yelling at a large monkey of some kind.  The monkey ran up a tree, and the man followed. (?)  We got to the scene and scared the both of the monkey-things away.

The man’s name is Thalen.  He was friends with Lasalerus, back in the day.  He seems a little greedy, so I’m going to keep my guard up.  He agreed to come with us, as long as he “got paid.”  I don’t really like him.


*5th Entry*

Still don’t like him.


*6th Entry*

After a few days of travel, we got back to Enari.  Ekitar left, to go back to the elven city, and report.  Lorn decided to stay with us.  I told the head priest what we had done, and he was extremely happy.  I tithed a little more than 10% (four gold, out of 37 I received from Lorne; payment from the elven kingdom if we succeeded).

Lorn invited everyone to a night of revelry at the Tale & Brew tavern.  Thalen, Lasalerus and I attended.

It was quite a bustling evening.  The place was known for being a gathering hall for adventurers and their ilk.  We fit right in, which was an encouraging feeling.

We had several offers for work that night, which included the following:

1. Help an old man get back his items and money that had been stolen by an international ring of rogues.  He would pay us 2000 gold.  It would be a month-long venture, or more.  This is what I wanted to do, but nobody else agreed.

2. Help a woman (Tayla) get some rare black triceratops egg/triceratops to ride.  She needed to do this so she could help her townsfolk, who were in trouble.  Lasalerus wanted to do this, as he thought the girl was “really pretty.”  She offered us 600 gold.

3. Help some miners clear their mine of strange sasquatch-like creatures.  Five gold per person per day, plus 80 gold for each kill (that goes straight to the person who gets the kill).  Thalen wanted to do this one, which is precisely why I disagreed with it.

4. Help some dwarves pick up and deliver a message from the Star Federation (a dwarven stronghold-complex).  Lorn wanted to do this so he could see the famed Star Forge.

After a little debate, we decided that we could help the miners, and then go with Tayla to the volcano where the black triceratops was, as it was on the way.  Tayla reluctantly agreed, but didn’t want to waste much time in the mines.  We declared that we would clear the sasquatchs quickly, so she agreed.


*7th Entry*

We headed out to the mines, to the south west.  After a few days travel, we reached it.  The site-boss explained to us what he needed.  We were to go down into the tunnels and kill as many of these things as possible, as they were killing the miners.  There were two other groups that they had hired, and we all split up.

Of course Lasalerus, myself, Lorn, Tayla and Thalen went together.

After a while of searching, we found one.

It summoned a giant centipede.  I smote it handily, and we killed the sasquatch as well.  Another one attacked us while we were fighting the first.  This one was large, and was foaming at the mouth.  Rabies?

It knocked out Lasalerus with its club.  I was able to heal him by laying on hands.  The power was amazing.  I could feel Luminor.  It was sublime.

A ravenous goat attacked and knocked out Lorn.  We were lucky enough to kill the last sasquatch and quell the goat.  We bandaged up Lorn, and headed back to the site-boss with proof of our kills.  (Tayla killed one, and I killed the other.)


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## Droid101 (Oct 19, 2004)

*8th Entry*

In the morning, I healed Lorn, who woke up, and healed the rest of us best he could.

The other two groups that had gone in the mines was worse off than us.  One had a member killed, and another didn’t even make it out at all.  A halfling named Milo from the group that lost one member offered to go with us, if we were going back in.  We put it to a vote.

Lorn wanted to rest up a few days, and then go back in.  Tayla wanted to go in immediately, as she wanted to leave for the volcanic region the next day.  Thalen, Lasalerus and I voted to go in right away as well, so that’s what we did.  Milo went with us.

Milo and Thalen scouted ahead.  Anything they found, I’m sure they kept without telling the rest of us, so I try not to think about it.

We found our way to the place that the other group had been chased off by five of these sasquatches.  I held no fear, and I walked in.  They attacked.

Their chief (as far as I could tell) charged at me.  Calling down the power of Luminor, I smote him.  Two powerful hits sent him to the underworld.

Lorn got knocked out again.  We ended up killing five of these things this day, for a total of seven (Tayla killed one the first day and one on the second, I killed one the first day and one on the second, Lasalerus killed one the second day, and Milo finished off two).

The halfling held his own, just like he said.  He was completely unscathed.  We returned to the site-boss for our reward.

We each received 25 gold, plus 150 gold per sasquatch scalp, so I got a total of 325.  I gave 20 to Lorn, Tayla, Lasalerus and Thalen for helping me kill the first one on the previous day.  Thalen returned the gold, stating that “we had a deal.”  Some people just can’t accept charity.  A shame.

Tomorrow, we start for the volcanic region.  Tayla offered Milo 100 gold plus a share of the treasure if he came with us.  Someone else for me to look after… oh well.


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## Droid101 (Dec 15, 2004)

*9th Entry*

Trek toward the southern mountain range.  Milo is very upset that we are getting farther and farther from any cities.  This irks me as well, but I don’t know if I want to have anything in common with this little hooligan.  He and Thaylen talk only about money.

On a lighter note, after a night of heavy prayer to Luminor, I found myself topped with a glowing halo the next day.  What a glorious gift from the Lightbringer!  I can tell the others are jealous, from their snide remarks they think I don’t hear.


*10th Entry*

After six days, we reach the volcano we’ll be going in to get this special egg.  Musn’t falter.


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## Droid101 (Jan 10, 2005)

*11th Entry*

We head into the volcano.  A simple cavern becomes a precarious walk.  A raised pathway with 100 foot drops on either side of us.  We continued on.

Several specter-like flaming ghost creatures flashed across the path and into the wall in front of us.  We held resolve and continued forward.

Three winged creatures assaulted us.  Two of them were rock and lava looking creatures, and the last one looked more feminine, and was all flame.  They were all about four feet tall.  Calling upon the power of Luminor, I completely destroyed both of the rock things, shattering them into a hundred pieces under my heavy flail, sending the rock falling off the ledge.  The flaming one flew away.  Hopefully I’ll get her later.

After a while of walking down, the cavern gets hotter and hotter as we get closer to the lava below.  Finally, we see a clutch of two red-hot glowing eggs.  Without forming a plan of any kind, Milo sneaks up to try to steal one.  As he wraps it in his blanket and hoists it (the egg being almost as big as him!) a huge entirely black triceratops awakens from the next room, and begins to charge at us.  Milo notices a second exit to the volcano beyond the triceratops.

Lasalerus created a wispy dog-like creature to hold it off, but it merely overran it.  Milo handed the egg to me, hopped onto Nei-Lorn’s shoulders and they ran.  I handed the egg to Lasalerus.  Tayla began to run, as did Lasalerus and I.  Then, I got a brilliant idea.

I called out to Thaylen, who I noticed sneak into the egg-clutch room and hide.  The triceratops ran past him toward us.  I yelled for him to grab the other egg, and I instructed Lasalerus to drop this egg.  Sure enough, as he dropped the egg, the triceratops stopped chasing us, taking its egg back.  Lasalerus, Tayla and I ran out of the volcano, hoping to meet up with Thaylen on the outside.

We caught up to Nei-Lorn, but Milo was no longer with him.  We all ran out.  Hoping Milo and Thaylen would make it out as well.

Our way down the volcano several rock slides made things difficult.  One particular one had a strange looking man leap out of the rocks.  He bled fire and wielded a flaming chain.

After a difficult battle the strange man laughed and vanished.  I was knocked out by his chain, as was Tayla, but the others relayed to me that Milo finished him off.  At least he’s starting to pull his weight around here.

Nei-Lorn healed me and I saw that Milo had retrieved the egg.  Excellent.  The flaming man had dropped a flaming flail and ring, as well.  Also excellent.

Tayla paid him his 200, and everyone else got 150.  15 of that will be put aside for my tithe.

We camped that night.


*12th Entry*

We headed back up the volcano to find Thaylen.  We found him, but he was barely alive.  We healed him, and he bade us farewell.  He would go back to check in with his master.  So be it.


*13th Entry*

We made our way to Tayla’s tribe.  It would take five days.  We saw strange flying lizards overhead.  She said that legends told of great warriors who used those as mounts.  Magnificent.


*14th Entry*

We arrived at the tribe.  However, not all was well.  There were campfires all around the outside of the tribe’s wooden walls.  Gnolls.  Over a hundred of them.  We retreated into the mountainside to figure out a plan of action.

Things don’t look good.


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## Droid101 (Jan 27, 2005)

*15th Entry*

Milo went into the tribe alone, and then came back to get the rest of us.  We had a skirmish with a few gnolls on our way into the tribe.  I smote one so handily that everyone was congratulating me afterward.  Quite strange.

After we got in, we rested.  Milo, Lasalerus and Nei Lorn wanted to go out the next day and hit the gnolls; keep them on their toes.  I felt this was a bad idea, so I decided to stay in town and train.


*16th Entry*

I was right.  I felt bad letting them go alone, so I went to the walls to check how they were doing.  Lo and behold, they were fighting for their very lives against quite bad odds.  I jumped from the wall and charged out to help.  I killed a gnoll berserker, who was quite tough.  It took several direct hits to fell the beast.

Tayla and her father, Ogrith came from the tribe to try to help.  However, more and more gnolls continued to arrive.  I was knocked unconscious.  After we arrived back in town, I found that Lasalerus, Tayla and Ogrith had carried myself, Nei Lorn, and Milo out of the battle; all of us were knocked out by the swarming gnolls.


*17th Entry*

We trained for several days.

The townspeople were growing more and more anxious.  The gnolls seemed to be getting reinforcements.  Things weren’t looking good.

Ogrith came to us to tell us about a messenger they had sent to a nearby tribe for aid.  They had not heard back from the messenger, and he feared the worst.  He asked us to go out and see what happened to the messenger, and to get word to the tribe and ask for help.  We agreed.

Anything to escape this death-trap we were now in.

He also explained to us about some demonic frog-like creatures being unleashed and terrorizing the north.  Demons and gnolls acting way out of character… something is fishy.  I smell a connection.


*18th Entry*

Things could have gone better…

Our plan was to run as soon as some archers could start a fire, hence distracting the gnolls.

We decided to sneak, and that didn’t get anywhere.  Gnolls kept pouring out of the mountainside, so we ran after a short battle.  We escaped up into the mountains and camped out.

I spotted some gnolls searching for us, so we moved on through the night, and slept a lot when we finally stopped.  We were searching for a mountain lake.

So far, I have killed eight rank-and-file gnolls, and one elite berserker.


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## Droid101 (Feb 9, 2005)

*19th Entry*

This entry will be a little longer and more complete.  We are finally back in Enari, so I have the time and the wits about me to write a little bit more.

We reached a lake up in the mountains.  On one of the banks was a grouping of huts.  We searched them, and found some corpses of the villagers.  In one of the huts were some black lizard-like creatures, wearing armor and brandishing weapons.  They moved to attack, so we countered.

One of them got the drop on me from behind, so I smote him from this earth.  This caused the other two to run away.  We gave pursuit to one, a cleric I believe from his spellcasting.  He used a potion to start floating up into the air.  Lasalerus translated what he was saying in Draconic.

He surrendered to us if we promised not to kill him.  He came down and told us of these Shadow Portals that are expunging he and his people from their home plane.  A great war is going on between the Chaotic Slaadi and the Lawful Formians.  This war is raging across worlds, and destroying them as they go.  They were fighting on this shadow plane at the moment, so he and all his people are fleeing.

These portals appear on full moons.  

He said that he was not a part of the larger group that had killed everyone in the tribe here.  I let him go.

We met a mountain druid on our way back.  He led us up to a bear of a man a ways away.  He told us about some staff and a Black Oracle that might be able to close these portals for good.

We traversed back down the mountains and I wrote a note to Tayla and her people, and we fired it over the walls from a safe distance, not letting any gnolls see us.  I let them know that the Dekari tribe was decimated, that there were lots of other strange creatures involved, and that we’d be headed north for more help.

We headed north and found that the northern town had also been overrun by creatures.  However, the creatures here were the slaadi, so we headed further north over the mountains, to get back to Enari.  This was a little too much for our small group to handle alone.

We finally got back and alerted everyone we could.  It felt good to be back at the church, and I tithed 45 gold, plus my old chain mail.  The half-plate from the shadowy lizard-thing would do me well for the time being.


*20th Entry*

Lasalerus talked to the head of the church of Palanthus.  Seems like some adventuring groups had traveled with part of the staff that would close the portals.  They went to the Black Oracle, but never returned.  We have decided to head for the Black Oracle for ourselves, and find out what we can.

We must not let this world fall to some otherworldly creatures’ mindless war.


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