Chapter Eleven: Loose Ends (a dream)

Crescent City, midnight June 28

You feel as if you are falling down an endless tunnel, with walls of rough rock. Bats whirr through the darkness and strange, vast fungal growths bulge from the damp stone. You suddenly realise that you are dreaming but the realisation does not wake you. You are being whirled through the air at tremendous speed, down and down and yet further down. Then there is a dizzying moment of plummeting through pitch darkness; and then you are hovering in a chamber that seems horribly familiar, as if you had seen it before, though you know you have not. A mass of black stone fills the centre of the room, so dark in hue that it seems to devour the light and to exude darkness like smoke, though its edges are perfectly distinct. You know instinctively that this is the heart of a power as vast and cold as space, a power that despises you simply because you dare to exist. Were you truly here, you feel, it would leech the life out of you. The stone has been chipped in many places, as if flakes have been chiselled off and taken away as relics. There are eight figures here, conducting a ceremony of some kind. The figures have manes of white hair and ink-black skin. They wear robes of translucent fabric and move with the slow, patient grace of spinning spiders, placing ritual items in their places – a platinum skull that steams with blue mist, a chalice carved from a single gigantic ruby, a crystal disc engraved with a complicated web. As to what the purpose of this ritual may be, you cannot guess. There are voices speaking from somewhere nearby – a female and a male. The male speaks: 'You are watching them?' 'I am,' the female responds. 'It is confirmed, then? The one they call the Terror has begun her campaign?' 'She has. Already she has taken one circle. I confess, I am a little impressed.' 'A Node, corrupted? Without access to the Altar? How?' 'It seems House Arakh retained fragments from the end of the last war. With those, she broke the hold of the star-bitch over the stones. There is no doubt that she is of us, of the Host. Her followers have grown strong. Even the grey ones bend the knee to her. None of us foresaw it, but House Arakh is indeed favoured of the Dark. Perhaps it is the will of the Dark that we admit them back to the Ennead.' 'It could be an aberration. House Arakh lost the last war for us. Why should we ever forget that?' 'I do not intend to forget any details of the last war, brother. Unlike you, I was there. I think we shall watch this Terror that Arakh has bred for a while longer. She has not called for our help yet, and for that I respect her, if for nothing else. Let us see how she fares. Let her prove what she is so desperate to prove.' 'Where is she now?' 'Let us find out. I see her… in council with her generals. They are speaking of Caldraza, of some subterfuge. Curious. What is the creature plotting? Let me listen… Ah! Cunning indeed! Even now, while her diplomats are awaiting audience with the King of Caldraza, speaking of treaties and compromise, the subtle knives of her other agents gleam in the shadows! Oh, she will have her treaty, right enough, whether King Titus wishes it or not… and by the time anyone detects her, the damage will be done… hold! There are other eyes here! Who observes us?' With that, you awaken suddenly, with a lingering cold in your bones.

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Map of Caldraza

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Chapter Eleven: Loose Ends (rest and research)

Crescent City, June 22 - 28

Yet another week of crafting for Rygorh and Neil:

• Neil finishes crafting Dinah's gloves of dexterity +2.
• Neil crafts bracers of natural armor +1 for Alev.
• Neil crafts a cloak of charisma +2 for Alev.
• Rygorh completes Ashton's flaming longbow +1.
• Rygorh begins enchanting his armor to +2.

Meanwhile, others of the Starborn investigated the goings on in Crescent City and followed up on rumors about the politics of Caldraza.

• Seebo learns that Dark Mariah is offering a reward of an unknown amount for information about Magdalene's murder. The value may be as high as 1,000 gp. This reward may depend on bringing the murderer to justice . . . Dark Mariah style.
• Some rumor say that Magadalene was killed by one of the other crime lords or by Lord Malthus.
• Seebo correctly surmised that the three people killed and left with coins on their eyes are three muggers that were freelancing in Jimmy the Tailor's territory.
• There is no known guild that uses gold coins as a "calling card," however, coins left on a victim's eyes have been used in the past to represent a blood debt paid or a vengeance murder.
• None of the thieves' guilds appears to be making any "big moves" lately, but rumor has it that Lord Raglan has made some significant contacts with "outsiders" that may help him in the future.
• There have been two additional "face theft" murders in the last week.
• The face thief murders are as follows:
  • Segmund Turvey, landlord of the Laughing Lord tavern; found April 1 in a quay near the downtown docks.
  • Alicia Merrick, waterside whore; found April 5 in a sewer that feeds into the River Sappent on the north side of the city.
  • An unidentified woman; found April 7 washed up in the delta of the river.
  • Jimmy Stanton, son of a wealthy merchant and wll-known Reveller; found April 8 floating between two of the ocean-side docks.
  • Initially unidentified priestess of Marius; later determined to by Prudence Ancione; found April 11 in a quay near the downtown docks.
  • Alexi Demeter, a rogue belonging to Little Reginald's gang; found in a sewer pipe in Lord Raglan's territory on April 22.
  • An unidentifed woman; found April 27 in a minor tributary stream on the far south of the city.
  • An unidentifed dwarf male; found May 11 in the waterside docks.
  • Ariel Silverthorn, an elven merchant; found May 15 in the waterside docks.
  • Grant Trask, an unaffiliated rogue found May 27 in the waterside docks.
  • Everett Blake, a wealthy merchant; found May 28 by the Starborn when Elizabeth Saunders was taken into custody with the murder weapon in her hands.
  • An unidentified male; found June 9 in the waterside docks.
  • An unidentified female elf; found June 13 in a warehouse near the old elven quarter.
  • Jasc Tailor, a tailor, was found on June 17 in a warehouse near the old elven quarter.
  • An unidentified female; found in the streets of the old elven quarter by a band of Revellers.
• No one is sure who the king is negotiating with. Some say it is Jehannum. Others claim that it is the dwarves of Svarth. Some whisper darkly that it is the drow who have conquered Chillhame.
• A quick investigation of the warehouse using locate object reveals that there is no longer any drow sleep poison there. There is still some in or around Dark Mariah's tavern. No one has seen any unusual activity at either place.
• Princess Romilly is out of favour with her father, King Titus, because she has refused numerous marriages. She is a dedicated fighter and is respected by the men of Ghael. She is stationed near the forest of Meere, which is so full of monsters that neither the Ghaels nor the Caldrazans will enter it.
• Prince Caspar is kept locked in a special room in the castle, so that he does not injure himself. If he starts bleeding, it does not stop.
• The king's secret allies have said that they will help with the war against Ghael. Thousands of troops are being sent to the border, ready for an invasion. The big push into Ghael is coming any day now.
• King Titus has refused to meet his council lately, but has addressed the people of Beacon City from his palace balcony. There are secret ambassadors in the palace as his guests.

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Chapter Eleven: Loose Ends (still resting)

Crescent City, June 15 - 21

As another week passes, Neil and Rygorh continue their work on crafting magical items for the Starborn:

• Rygorh completes work on Casey's armor . . . now +2.
• Rygorh increases the enchantment on Kettle's armor to +2.
• Rygorh begins work on a magical flaming longbow for Ashton.
• Neil completes work on Dinah's amulet of natural armor (with help from a swamp elf druid).
• Neil crafts a magical vest of resistance +2 for Alev.
• Neil begins working on magical gloves of dexterity for Dinah (with help from Rumus and/or Tilk).

In the meantime the city tries Elizabeth Saunders for murder. Some of the Starborn make appearances as witnesses for her defense. The judge does not seem convinced, but agrees to hold her without sentencing until such time as "the real murderer can be found." Some talk about a supernatural creature possessing or influencing her actions fans the flames of rumors in the city that vampires or worse are at work.

Rumors of war in other parts of the world cease. While the Starborn heard a great deal over a month ago about drow attacking various places, those rumors have been laid to rest. It appears that the only place the drow attacked was Chillhame. The drow still control Chillhame, but it appears that they are suffering heavy losses to guerilla warriors in and around the towns of Churney-on-the-Green and Hockton Barrow. Lady Arigane, formerly of the council of Saragost, leads a great host of druids, rangers, wizards and archers from the region in hit and run attacks on supply lines and such.

An underground rumor among the rogues of the city speaks of a reward offered by Dark Mariah for information about her lieutenant's murder.

Additional information about Caldraza in general:

• Caldraza declared war on Ghael last year after Prince Rufus and his wife were killed during a visit there.
• King Titus has sent his own daughter, Romilly, to the border fort at Pengallin, near the forest of Meere.
• Prince Caspar, the heir to the throne, ha some sort of sickness.
• King Titus converted to Marianism after his son's death and rejected the old pagan ways on behalf of the entire kingdom.
• Rumor has it that the king has been in negotiation to receive aid in the war against Ghael. Massive troop movements have sent thousands of soldiers to the Ghael border over the last few weeks.

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Chapter Eleven: Loose Ends (a brief rest?)

Crescent City, June 8 - 14

The Starborn are spending some time getting some well-earned rest . . . well, most of them anyway. Rygorh and Neil are crafting magical items for the party:

• Neil completes a +2 Amulet of Health for Alev.
• Neil increases the enchantment on Casey's Cloak of Resistance to +2.
• Rygorh increases the enchantment on Tilk's armor to +2.
• Rygorh increases the enchantment on Dinah's armor to +2.
• Neil begins work on an Amulet of Natural Armor for Dinah.
• Rygorh begins work on increasing the enchantment on Casey's armor.

In the meantime other members of the party bounce about town and learn some things of interest:

• Elizabeth Saunders will stand trial beginning on June 17 for the murder of Andrew Kallendale. She was captured by members of the city guard while standing over the body of the deceased. She held the murder weapon in hand and was soaked with blood.
• There have been two additional "face thefts" . . . murders in which the victim has his face cut away. These murders happened after Elizabeth Saunders was imprisoned.
• Dark Mariah's lieutenant, Magdalene, was found dead last week. Someone lashed her to the pilings of a pier in the river where she drowned.
• The city guard found a trio of ruffians with their throats cut near a city guard post. One of the ruffians was a known cutpurse and mugger. No one seems to know who the other two were. Each of them had a pair of gold coins covering their eyes.
• The drow on Chillhame have suffered some major setback near the center of the island.

In addition to current events, the heroes manage to learn a bit about Caldrazan history . . .

King Titus of Caldraza has ruled wisely and well for over forty years. He is an ancient man, and many fear that the line of great Caldrazan kings will soon come to an end. About a year ago the king's son, Prince Rufus, and the prince's wife, Anastasia, traveled to the neighboring nation of Ghael for a diplomatic mission. Some of the clans of Ghael had lately stirred up trouble on the border. This was not unusual. The clans of Ghael have raided the border of Caldraza for centuries. There has been open warfare between Caldraza and Ghael in the past, but it has been centuries since any serious trouble.

Now there is serious trouble. Members of the MacHalish clan murdered Prince Rufus and Princess Anastasia. When word of the treachery reached King Titus he immediately declared war on all of the clans of Ghael. He also abandoned the faith of his ancestors and turned to the religion of Marianism. He declared Marianism to be the state religion and demanded that all of the royal court convert. Since this time there has been a massive build up of troops along the border with Ghael and a great deal of fighting between the two nations.

The king's daughter, a fiery-spirited warrior named Romilly, refused to convert to Marianism. For her impudence she has been banished from the palace. Prince Rufus's son, a boy of eight years named Caspar, is the heir to the throne. But the people of Caldraza fear to hear of Caspar's ascendence. Caspar is a sickly boy who surely will not live long enough to produce an heir. Rumor has it that if he gets even the slightest cut he may bleed to death without immediate medical attention.

The fighting has been confined to border raids on both sides, but rumors persist of plans for a major offensive into Ghael soon. The people of Caldraza want revenge on the barbarians of Ghael. They loved Prince Rufus like no other prince in living memory. Now that he is dead they fear for their country.

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Chapter Eleven: Loose Ends (the Valjean Plantation)

The heroes determine to save the swamp elves from the terrible vargouille infestation. Beforehand they decide to make a cursory inspection of the city for possible drow activity and to also work on keeping Elizabeth Saunders from standing trial for a murder they believe she did not commit . . .

Neil usese his magic to investigate the area. He searches for drow sleep poison while wind walking around the city. He finds two locations. One is the Lifeless Lass tavern which the heroes know is handout of Dark Mariah, the half drow leader of one of the thieves guilds in town. The other location is a warehouse near the old elven quarter. Seebo, Casey and Ashton stake out the warehouse for the better part of a day, but learn nothing. In the meantime, investigations into the place reveal that it is a customs house that receives all manner of imported goods through the port before passing them on to some other destination.

Rygorh has met with Lord Malthus and Alev met with Archbishop Vigilance. Both agreed that the lady Elizabeth Saunders will not be tried for murder immediately. Rygorh gave a speech to the swamp elf residents of Crescent City pleading with them to help defend the city in exchange for freedom.

On the morning of June 2 the heroes set out into the swamp east of Crescent City. They make for the destroyed village where Greenroot lived and then head north. After about three days and two nights in the swamp they find the Valjean Plantation:

This land was once a thriving plantation but now weeds grow in the unploughed soil and rusting tools lie among them. There is no clue to suggest why the place has been abandoned. The soil seems as good as any and the ground is firm underfoot. Ahead, the house itself sits empty as a skull, or so it appears. The windows are all smashed in, the rail around the porch has rotted and fallen away and not even the birds are coming close. Perhaps the explanation for this desolation lies somewhere inside.

Inside the building the Starborn find dozens of vargouiles . . . the creatures have been multiplying as they slaughter whole villages of swamp elves. They also find nearly a dozen howlers . . . foul creatures from the abyss! A full investigation of the upper floors of the place reveals little of interest except that the place was abandoned rather hastily and has been empty of all except the vargouilles and howlers for many years.

While the upper floors of the place offered little challenge, the basement as a different matter entirely. Seebo moved ahead of the others to check out the lower level. As he looked into the unnatural inky blackness of the place a horror fell upon him . . . a babau demon nearly laid the poor fellow low before Rygorh could move to his defense. Unfortunately, Rygorh's presence did not deter the beast as it sliced and bit Seebo, bringing him to the ground and then turning on Rygorh. As the heroes moved to dispatch their foe another, greater, danger appeared: a vrock demon laid into Rygorh wounding him severely.

The Starborn retreat to the ground floor in hopes of bringing the creature into a larger space where they can all bring their weapons to bear. This plan, while seemingly wise, was almost the death of the heroes. As they retreated the demon prepared himself for battle with mirror image and then used greater teleport to drop into the midst of the heroes. His spores seemed at first to be a mere annoyance. Little did the heroes know that this poisonous fungus would nearly kill them over the next minute. Fortunately a combination of ranged magic, arrows and sword blows managed to pierce the vrock's illusory guards and Tilk brought the creature low with a mighty blow from his greatsword.

The heroes spend a moment in terror as the spores from the vrock grow at a rapid pace, damaging all of them except Seebo who had a delay poison spell affecting him. Applications of neutralize poison and bless helped several of them, but not everyone. After a minute of agony the spores were finished and everyone had survived. The heroes drain many charges from their healing wands and set out to explore the basement.

There is a howling gale in this cellar room, tugging at your clothes and hair. The winds come from a black vortex in the south wall, only three feet or so across, through which you can dimly see the outline of strange thin mountains and distant figures that no sane mind could describe. Suspended in the air, half in and half out of the vortex, is the emaciated figure of a human being. His hands have been lashed to a support beam, so the winds keep him hanging in the air but cannot pull him all the way through. His face is almost that of a skull, but the sunken eyes that roll madly in their sockets are those of a living man. He tries to speak, his voice a thin whine above the roaring winds: ‘Listen! You must understand! I have been here for years, so many years, ever since it happened! The demon is keeping me alive! It brings me water and… food… scraps of meat… I dare not think where the meat comes from. I try to refuse it but the hunger is too great! ‘While I live, the gateway cannot close. They are using it, using it to cross between their world of chaos and our world. They want to make it larger. While it is small, only the heads can come through, but there is something beyond… something huge. It wants to tear the gate open and enter this plane. ‘I have become the gateway! For pity’s sake, kill me! Close the vortex and let me find peace!’

While the heroes were ready to engage in their standard "argue for hours" method of problem solving Alev takes matters into his own hands and fires an orb of acid at the man's hands and the ropes binding him. He flies into the portal, and the portal slams shut with a reverberating snap!

Seebo is a bit upset at Alev for taking such hasty action, but agrees in the end that it was the right thing to do . . . this time.

The Starborn search the house and the area for any additional dangers and decide to burn the building to the ground.

A few more days in the swamp and the heroes are back to Crescent City ready to face new challenges . . . it is the afternoon of June 7 when they reach Crescent City.

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Rygorh Rallies the Swamp Elves

Having gotten permission from Governor Malthus, Rygorh has determined to present a speech to the swamp elves of Crescent City in hopes of rallying them to help defend Crescent City from the drow. He has used his contacts among the elves to gather a great number of them near the central town square where they will hear his words and take them back to their villages:

Swamp Elves of Caldraza gather round and hear me; I speak on behalf of the governor of Crescent City . . . I speak to you of freedom. I speak to you of throwing aside your bonds of servitude and oppression. I speak to you of serving this city in its time of need. The Governor has graciously allowed me to come before you to deliver this message. Any of you who would be free, live according to the laws of Caldraza as any other citizen, who would save your children from bearing the yoke of slavery that has so long plagued your people, I call you to stand now! Stand as free men and women! Take up arms, but not in defiance of the the laws, not in revolt, but take up arms and defend this city, your homes and your people. If you would lay your life on the line for freedom's sake, if you would earn your freedom through force of arms, then serve this city in its time of need. The Governor Malthus has kindly offered those who serve this city lawfully . . . freedom. Freedom for their families, their children, the governor has offered to end this plague that has for so long oppressed your people. Your cries have been heard! Your governor has answered! Will you stand? Will you fight? Will you rally to the man who offers you freedom? Will you honor your governor? Will you now as free men stand and serve this city when the need arises?

The hundreds of swamp elves present take up the cry of "Freedom!" and begin marching throughout Crescent City. Word spreads like wildfire through the city. The slaves seek out the nearest guardhouses in an effort to join the city guard or otherwise fulfill this agreement of service for freedom. Over the next several days things are made more clear to the swamp elf slaves: when and if the city is under attack from an outside force any swamp elf that fights to defend the city will be granted freedom . . .

As there seems to be no immenent threat of attack the swamp elves dolefully return to their lives as slaves and laborers with little hope of true liberty.

Chapter Eleven: Loose Ends (scouring the city)

May 31, 998 CE

Neil begins an intensive search of Crescent City . . . he's attempting to locate any drow in the city by looking for poison and or holy symbols commonly in their possession. Air walk and longstrider provides extensive mobility while locate object spells work to pinpoint nearby items of interest. Neil initially concentrates on finding drow sleep poison in each of the four quarters of the city. He finds that there is drow sleep poison to be found in The Lifeless Lass bar near the docks and also in a warehouse near the old elven quarter. A return search to each of those two locations turns up no sign of holy symbols to the drow deity She.

Throughout this process Neil is well-protected by magic and Rygorh keeps an eye on him via the status spell.

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Chronicles of Rygorh: Personal Changes

I spent most of the next day or so to myself allowing the others to plot deviously by themselves if they so wished. My primary concern was to seek out new spells and the locations of the hidden shrines. I was also very concerned about these rumors of a slave revolt. Funny how a man can be completely changed as the Gods step in and direct their lives according to divine plan. A couple months ago had I walked into a place like this and hear of rumors of a Slave revolt by the 9 hells I would have been first in foremost in joining and even pushing for such a thing. Now however, I know that for slaves to revolt in this time of crisis for the surface world would not be a good thing. It could actually be bad under the impending Drow invasion, I have decided that I would enlist the aid of those swamp elves that have chosen to join me and seek out the leader of this revolt. I think that my background and experience in such things as warfare, I may be able to convince him that now is not the time for such an action. Now is prob. the absolute worst time for such a thing It would cost many lives on both sides lives that could help defend this city. I still find it hard to believe that me of all people am now attempting to end such action, sometimes it's difficult for me to accept but I know that this is in the best interest of the ongoing war. If I thought that these were the only things that were a bout to change I was wrong because as me and Ashton were headed back to the ship something happened, something I had never ever considered happening to me. A messenger came up with a message from the Governor saying that he wished to speak to me in private…… A ruling party or noble would never have sent me such a request in the past, me, a man who spurns local law and order and have spent my life trying to overthrow such self proclaimed authority to have received such a message. Out of curiosity I decided that I would go and meet with him although I know I must meet with my companions first and leave my sword on the ship since it is only one of the two Starborn Items we have recovered thus far.

Arriving on the ship, I immediately told the others of my meeting then went to my cabin to change clothes. Shortly after I could hear Alev banging on my door and asking me to join everyone on deck, sighing I told him that I would be there in a moment. I choose to dress in my formal robes that left no doubt in anyone’s mind that I was a servant of Firinna and one who relished in Chaos, Fire, War and Trickery. I figured that this Governor had wronged us by arresting our friends and I would make that point, by allowing the city to wonder why the Governor had requested a private meeting with such a person. When I stepped onto deck garbed in the vestments of my Goddess I saw many stares from the crewman as well as my companions. Alev was the first to ask me about my garments and upon understanding, I saw a satisfied glint in his eye, he it seems felt the same as I did. The others however were not so inclined and began preaching to me that it would be a bad Idea. Dressed as that and going to see him alone seemed to be the biggest concerns, some didn’t want me to go at all however they conceded that it was my decision. Most however were adamant that I take both Tilk and Dinah with me that I would not do! I did decide to concede and offered to take just Tilk after the Governor did seem to take a liking to him. All of course were against me leaving the ship in my robes to the goddess. Prior to meeting these people I would have never considered taking anyone else counsel especially about my garb however, I again conceded.

After removing my robes, I set out with Tilk and headed for the city hall for my first ever-private meeting with a city leader. I told myself over and over this is of course in the greater good or at least I hopped it was. Arriving at city hall, I cast Protection from Law on both Tilk and me just in case old habits die hard ya know. Besides, he, the governor, has not shown himself to be the most trustworthy soul. We told the guy at the desk that we were there to see him however it seemed that it was well past the appointed time that he expected me so we were asked to wait till he had a moment. After we waited, about 15 minutes and knowing that my spell had worn off the Governor still had not called upon us so I told Tilk that we needed to return to the ship. The clerk seemed surprised that we were leaving and I told him that we did have other matters to attend too and could not sit around all day. The Governor to this point had not solidified himself as an ally as a matter of fact he had betrayed us once in arresting our friends I was having serious issues of trust with him. As much as I seemed to have changed recently I have not changed that much, yet only the Gods know what we have in store.

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Chapter Eleven: Loose Ends

May 31, 998 CE

The heroes have regained their Starborn items and are ready to face the Host. There are a few loose ends to tie up. What will you do about the poor lady accused of murder? Surely she is not the face thief. What about the Vargouilles rampaging in the Swamp Elf lands? What about the possibility of the Swamp Elves revolting? What are the Drow up to?

Alev has arranged to meet with Archbishop Vigilance for later today. Rygorh has a similar meeting arranged with Lord Malthus? What are your plans? What are you trying to accomplish?

The accused murder is a waitress at a local tavern. Her name is Elizabeth Saunders. The deceased was a merchant and patron at the tavern. It seems they planned an evening tryst . . . they never made it back to her place. She was caught, quite literally, red-handed by the city guard. How will you protect her? Will you protect her?

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Seebo: The Thieves, the Bank and the Treasure

'Patience is a virtue.' Or so I was told when I was a young boy. I never understood what that really meant. Honestly, if there's something I want or something I need, I'd just take it. This time though, just taking it might land me an ear-to-ear smile if you get my drift.

Not wanting to make enemies in Crescent City – well not yet anyway – I tried fervently to arrange a meeting with Lord Raglan, the leader of the Thieves' Guild where the testing maze was located. If you know anything about the underworld and how things work, you know not to work in another man's territory without his permission

Like I said before, I wasn't getting anywhere with him and I was actually getting a little disheartened. I hadn't been jealous of Rygorh because he had his Starborn item until the first time I felt like I wouldn't get mine. I knew it was at the end of the maze and I knew it was my birthright so why should anything stand in my way?

But as I thought, the answer indeed did present itself to me. One of Raglan's cronies apparently slipped a note in my pocket as I was leaving his bar. He wanted to meet with me at 2am. I'm no fool though. I wasn't about to walk in there alone. Everyone else agreed to filter themselves in slowly before the meeting so if things did go bad, they'd be there to back me up.

I walked in the bar, walked up and ordered me my tall ale. I hadn't even taken a sip before a couple of the thugs came by and told me Raglan was waiting to see me. They led me to a dark corner where a thin waif of a man was sitting with his back to the wall. We talked a little bit about why I wanted to see him and who I was and who I thought he was. After a little discourse, he told me to come back tomorrow and Raglan would see me.

I really hate getting the run-around. But I had to play his games if I wanted to get in the maze. I came back the next day and spoke with Raglan finally. He was a brute of a man but he didn't scare me. He wanted me to kill Dark Mariah's second for him. Now let me lay this all out for you so you understand my particular dilemma there. The Crescent City underground is basically run by four Thieves' Guilds. The church and the governor know about them but don't bust them up. Through all of this a delicate balance of power is maintained by the six factions. What Raglan asked of me was to disrupt this balance by crippling one of the factions.

I'm not one to get involved in someone else's fight though so I flat out told him no. I wouldn't do it. He'd have to get someone else to do his dirty work. Apparently the rumors of me being a vicious assassin bent on leading the Drow into Crescent City were all fabricated by one Count Crastic. The bastard was using my moniker to spread rumors about the misdeeds he committed.

Raglan agreed to a lump sum of 1800gp to let us run the maze. We paid him and made our way to it. Alev was smart and got a writ to allow us entry into the hospital where the maze was located. We found it pretty easy in the morgue and made our way in.

I won't bore you with the details of how we defeated it, but suffice it to say between Kettle's and my skills we made short work of the maze. Under the throne at the end, tucked away in a cleverly hidden spot was the box with my gloves in them. Unfortunately, there was no key so we were still at a loss on what to do at the bank. There was also a number of medallions in the box that signified completing the maze.

With the maze done, the next focus was in fact the bank. We had already set the stage for it so all that was needed was to execute the plan. With the new information that Alev received, I was able to make my way in and reserve one of the most secure boxes for the evil rod from the Temple. Using that key, Neil enchanted it with a spell that would open whatever lock it came in contact with. Alev went back with the key and it worked! I have to hand it to Tilk and Neil; with their help we came up with a damn clever plan.

We now had all of our Starborn items in hand and we were ready to take on the Host. We had more immediate concerns to deal with but were about to fulfill our destinies. We had to clear out the Vargouille infestation at the plantation, save the swamp elves, clear the name of the poor woman who committed a crime while under the influence of an evil force and find the murderer. What woman?

Oh I must have missed that part. See after leaving Raglan's bar that first night, we were ambushed. A malevolent force took over Kettle and start pounding on us. We eventually beat away the force and sent it back to where ever it came from but seconds later we found a woman covered in blood holding a man's face in a back alley. Apparently she had been possessed by a malevolent force as well and had used a knife to cut away a man's face. She came to just in time to realize what was happening. We calmed her down but if it smells like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck. The guards arrested her and she was going to stand trial. We promised to do whatever we could to set her free.

All of that was a piece of cake compared to what was ahead of us though. I don't think any of us were truly prepared for what was about to happen.

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Chapter Ten: Seeking out Power (success!)

After a week or so in Crescent City, back from their visit with the Ragged Man, the Starborn are set on finding a way to get to their Starborn Signature Items. They have spent time talking with Governor Malthus, Archbishop Vigilance Derrick, attempted to contact Lord Raglan of one of the thieves' guilds and even sought out the forbidden religions of the Avillon pantheon. They visited the bank, asked some questions and investigated Ombar Lutz, but have made little progress.

Finally, some things seem to be breaking their way . . . sort of. Many of the heroes are contacted by various people offering information and/or warnings:

• Kettle meets a fellow dwarf from Underdale by the name of Zebedo Shieldheart. Zebedo tells Kettle that an unusually large number of drow have been seen in and around Calraza of late. In fact, nearly a dozen have been captured or killed in the deeps near Underdell.
• Rygorh's swamp elf friends check into the rumors of rebellion. While they can find no direct evidence of such rebellion in progress, they do bring news that several swamp elf villages have been destroyed and/or abandoned in the face of the demon head vargouilles that have become quite a menace in the swamp. Many of the swamp elves have fled to Crescent City and there are quite a few beggars/refugees congregating near the dock area.
• A swamp elf beggar approaches Dinah asking for help. She offers up some copper coins and he asks to speak with her alone. He warns her that Archbishop Vigilance Derrick has it in for the Starborn. He says that he is a slave to the Church of Marius and a servant in the great temple. He has overheard that the Archbishop fears that the Starborn, with their strange powers, will upset the delicate balance of power in the city. The Starborn represent powers beyond that of the Church of Marius. They are a herald of the end of the Church's power in Crescent City . . .
• A messenger finds Rygorh while he is out and about in town and tells him that Lord Malthus seeks a private meeting with him. Rygorh eventually seeks out this meeting, but his impatience gets the best of him. After waiting about fifteen minutes to meet with Lord Malthus, Rygorh leaves in a huff.
• An acolyte of the Church of Marius approache Alev and tells him that Archbishop Vigilance Derrick would like to meet with him and sets a date and time for the meeting.
• Alexander Shaw, a priest of Old Heakun, seeks out Neil. It seems word has gotten to him that Neil is seeking non-Marian priests in town. Alexander advises Neil that there are three shrines in town dedicated to the gods of the Avillon pantheon. He agrees to meet Neil at the Pig and Whistle and later show him where the shrine to Old Haekun can be found.
• An acolyte of the Church of Marius comes to Casey to warn her that the archbishop fears for the safety of the Starborn. One of their companions, a halfling called "the Knife" is feared to be an assassin working against the group. Casey and Alev agree to discuss this with Archbishop Vigilance when they meet him.
• A rogueish type approaches Seebo and tells him to come to the Merry Jackdaw after 2:00 am and he might be able to meet with Lord Raglan . . .

The heroes investigate these many leads over the next couple of days. Eventually they are granted access to the old rogues' maze. Lord Raglan asks Seebo to assassinate Dark Mariah's second in commmand. Seebo refuses, but instead offers cash for the right to enter the maze. Lord Raglan agrees. Alev gets permission from Archbishop Vigilance Derrick for the Starborn to enter the hospice and go into the maze underneath.

The heroes manage to best the maze with ease. The tricks and traps of the place are no match for the combined wits and abilities of the heroes. They avoid fights, outwit the tricksome parts and bypass traps. Eventually they find themselves in the "throne room" of the King and Queen of Thieves where they recover a pair of magical gloves which are clearly Seebo's Starborn item.

The bank proves to be a bit more of a head scratcher. With no interest in breaking in and robbing the place the Starborn try to find a way to "legitmately" aquire their items. After a great deal of investigation they learn that they must have the proper key to provide to the bank teller to open the vault of Ombar Lutz. In stunning move of cleverness they open up a new account, pay for one year's worth of fees and get a key to their own vault. They then have the key enchanted with a single use of knock such that it will open a single lock with which it is brought into contact. Returning to the bank, Alev presents the key as the proper key to Ombar Lutz's vault. The key works and the heroes manage to get the rest of their gear without bloodshed and without robbing the bank!

Now fully armed and ready the Starborn have decided to handle the menace of the Valjean Plantation once and for all before moving on . . .

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Alev: Recovering the Orb of Azurite

April 24, 998 CE

Crescent City is quite an interesting place. We have spent the better part of the last week searching around for clues while Rygorh and Neil are working on various projects. Got a nice pair of gloves made by Neil, these should greatly help getting my spells to land where I want them.

The group has decided to leave Crescent City and go straight for the Ragged Man. I did not agree with the decision, but was out voted. I do not like us leaving these problems behind us. This cesspool is ripe for infiltration by the Drow, and we are leaving ourselves open to having an enemy gather another foothold behind us. It feels like we are moving out of order, out of balance, like there is something missing if we just depart so quickly.

This Ragged Man, I fear, will not be what we are expecting. It troubles me the way Lady Arigane described him, like there is something she didn't want to say.

April 27, 998 CE

We traveled up river with Greenroot, a swamp elf that Lorelei had befriended. We encountered some interesting creatures, a pair of beetle-like monsters that tried swallowing Seebo. Quite a bother they were, and we were forced to gather the fleeing swamp elves afterwards. We lost one to a crocodile, sadly.

We arrived at the swamp elves village, they had an animal totem up, which they were fearful of us touching. Seems they worship nature spirits, quite an interesting discovery. The area is poor, but hospitable, these swamp elves are very nice folk.

I had been thin-

We just got attacked by some flying heads that tried biting and paralyzing us! Apparently these are very nasty creatures that live on the plantation that we had heard rumors about being abandoned. They bite you and then you die and your head becomes one of these. Nasty undead infectation in the area. Will definitely need to here on our way back to Crescent City. I cannot allow this blight to continue to grow, the Drow could find a way to turn it against us, like they did with those giant undead war machines in Saragost.

Tomorrow we continue up river towards the temple. I hope my fears about this Ragged Man are not confirmed further.

April 30, 998 CE

We have found a mission in the swamp. This place is very comforting, like a beacon of order in the chaos around us. The missionary, Father Abstinence, was a very kind man, and quite knowledgeable. He found an odd disease amongst a few of us called Swamp Fever. He was able to cure it with a spell I had never seen. At my request, he scribed two scrolls of this Remove Disease spell for my companions. I really must learn the spell he used to keep the insects outside of his home. That will definitely have to be imbued into my home whenever I have it built.

May 5, 998 CE

Finally we have found the temple and entered it. We encountered a strange elven woman, who must be a ghost, in the swamp. I have a eerie feeling about this place. Dinah already lost her face to a magical trap, stolen by a statue. The magic is strong in this place, yet we are trapped, so we must continue on. Most of the journey here is a fog in my mind. We have spent well over a week getting here. This Ragged Man will give us the answers we seek, one way or another.

May 11, 998 CE

At last, we know the location of our items. But, was it worth the price? Neil had it figured, this Ragged Man was none other than Severil Blackthorn, the last survivor of the previous equinox. He is a selfish, evil man. Or was, I guess. In his care has been an item that was meant to be left for safekeeping for us. The Orb of Azurite, a powerful artifact from equinox past that could be used by the starborn to locate the Nodes, warn them of the Host and scry on the soulbound items destined for each. It once had many more powers, but this vile creature has corrupted it's powers and siphoned the magic to keep him alive for 1000 years and create all the monstrosities we found here.

Three brides he kept, the vanity still amazes me. And as they died, he brought them back as undead, in different ways each time. The first, the ghost we had been seeing. She didn't like us looking at her coffin. Well, I'm sure she didn't like seeing Kettle crush and urinate on her bones even more. But, she was dead again by then. The second was a mummy, a nasty creature, but we were fortunate in that fight and it went quickly. We worked very well as a team in there. Something I wish we could do more often. There was also a dragon's horde found near the second bride, that money will definitely be put to good use. The last bride was a vampire. But getting to her nearly cost us all. Damn the logic, I should have seen the possibility. The door was underwater, and as we opened it, we were all sucked into a hallway that ended in a drop beyond sight and death. Fortunate for us, Dinah was able to get the door closed and we survived. The vampire made the mummy feel like a dragon encounter. She was not ready for us at all. I don't even think I got 2 spells off that time. Talk about efficient teamwork.

Well, we have the Orb of Azurite now. And Rumus3s item, which Severil was wearing. Kind of a scary though, but I sure hope our Elven Wizard doesn't go down the same road as Severil did. I would hate to fight a friend. That would not bode well for us, or the rest of the world. The rest of our items are located in Crescent City. Most in a vault at the bank, according to information from Severil, the last in a maze underneath the old Thieves’ Guild. So, back to Crescent City we go. Hope we can make better time this trip, things have to be progressing without us.

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Journals of a Hunter: A Harsh Reality

I always thought life was just waking up in the morning, putting on your furs, grabbing your bow and making ready for the hunt. Seems in the past few weeks things have not been that easy. I've had to find resolve, make hard decisions that I never thought I would have to. I've lost friends to battle and death. Even I have died to creatures similar to those that killed my parents. My heart has torn and no matter how brave that I thought I may have been its placed fear into my soul. I have found courage though and a reason to keep going not only because of friends but because I have found a longing that has been missing from my heart.

A lot of new information has been uncovered in finding our Starborn items that seem so close but so far away. Although they are right there within grasp it seems that they still remain far away and unreachable. Seebo, Ashton and myself were jailed for what seems no reason at all and me being questioned and fed this awesome banquet, given jewels all outside the eyes of the others; do I really look that naive? The Governor was questioning me about what we were doing and what our intentions were, of course I was hesitant to give him a straight answer. I didn't want to give him any information that might bring harm upon the others. I really didn't know how to answer him except to say we are investigating the Starborn and trying to find information about them and the war. I assumed he got the information he wanted because he paid me and told me that I was welcome to leave. What was I to this is what I meant by having to make those hard decisions.

The thieves' guild? A maze with a hidden item? A mysterious plantation? A vampire and murders? A slave revolt rising? All these issues are really burdening my mind when it seems just so much easier to blindly pick up my sword and swing at things. I hope we get these problems dealt with quickly and we all make it out of this alive.

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Casey: I'll Keep Quiet

I haven't said anything on this topic before because I wasn't all that concerned with it. Seebo and Kettle are insistent that we need a leader. Alev, Neil, Dinah and I pretty much will go with that, I think. Rygorh is insistent that we don't need one. OK, for the sake of that argument; diplomacy rules and we have a leader who votes with the majority. Once the leader decides on a side then we go with that. This all makes perfect sense to me. It's someone who sat back and listened to all sides and then decided with the majority. I am perfectly okay with this.

The bank is another argument they had me so confused on. I don't participate in these conversations often because I'm not really paid much mind. I think they were saying to store items there to get access to a magically sealed vault!!!!! The only vault we'd have access to is ours. If we want to store stuff I think we should store it at the Church of Marius. That Father Vigilance, I believe his name is, seemed downright friendly and like he wanted to help for the good of mankind. Now Seebo brings up this Severil Blackthorn and I could've sworn that the stupid evil elf said that the vault was stored under Lutz's name which there doesn't seem to be any record. Stupid evil elf; why was there an evil elf on the good side?

I can only see that we should help the plantation and then since Seebos' item is a tad more accessible that we should check out the maze. Granted I can't see past my nose on this whole ordeal because we've managed to hit walls at every turn and I'm still frustrated, but you'd think it'd seem to them that going towards what's accessible would be better for the nonce.

Growing up in a group of arguers hasn't made the past weeks very easy on me. When I left home I wasn't expecting to have to stay off in my corner again. I didn't think that I'd leave home and find that I have to live with more argumentativeness. It gets so old. I was hoping that other families weren't like mine, but apparently they were. It was never fun to me. I guess I'm just different. I think I'll just talk to Alev and then he can verbalize my thoughts if it's necessary. No sense making it more complicated than it is already.

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Chronicles of Rygorh: Starborn/Heroes or Deceivers

Well, we obviously did not make it to the temple as unnoticed as I would have liked. After meeting with a band of Drow and on very nasty dark dwarf seems that our argument as to where to go next was settled for us since Casey fell in battle. Using our new orb, which indicated that there was a node within Crescent City so off we went without hesitation or argument which was nice for a change. We soon found that the swamp elf village we had stopped in previously was completely wiped out by those head stealing little bastards from the plantation. Eventually we found another Swamp Elf village and stopped to rest for a short time, taking this time to rouse the village and standing in the center of town I gave a short speech to these people. I expressed the need for them to take up arms and defend there homes and families against this Drow threat. It felt so good and so much like my old self to be standing within a village of oppressed and again rousting them to battle unfortunately as much as I would love to march them against Crescent City for freedoms sake I know now is not the time for that. Several of the Swamp Elves were so moved by my speech that they chose to come with us and to follow me and walk the way of freedom.

With the help of our new Swamp Elf allies, we returned to Crescent City uneventfully and soon found that the Node, which we needed to return life to Casey, was within the top chamber of the City Hall. I decided long ago that it was time for me to try to work with the nobles that I had for so long given no respect to. We entered the building and I requested an audience with the Governor, which was eventually granted after a short debate with his lackey at the entrance. I spoke with this person and extended him courtesy that I never thought I would offer to one of his ilk but Casey's life was more important than my personal feelings. He was quite skeptical of course about the place that could return life to a corpse however; he did allow us a visit to the place. He was very inquisitive as to whom we were and I choose not to mention anything about the Starborn but told him about the battle for Saragost and the coming invasion. With Casey back among the living we returned to his office and I was in the process of explaining to him that the Counsel in Saragost considered us as trusted allies and also attempted to tell him about the treason of the Count. I went into some detail over the battle and the part that we played, I wanted him to understand the danger his city faced so he could prepare for war.

I felt the meeting was going fine well up until Kettle decided that he wanted to interrupt me and begin spinning tales and telling lies to this man. I couldn't believe it I just stood there stunned as he embellished his lies, are we the good guys or not was my only thought. We soon left and that's when Kettle turned on me and began accusing me of telling the guy too much and telling me that I should have lied. How dare him! The worse part is the rest of the group seemed to agree with him, how dare any of them to expect me to sacrifice my principles and values and lie to anyone. Kettle tried to tell me that lying was important and useful, where does he get that Idea? I told him simply I will not lie just as I wouldn't animate a corpse and create undead. He told me this was different and failed to grasp the fact that it is not different are we to become like our adversaries and sacrifice what we believe in? Then where does it stop? NO, I will not sacrifice my word or my honor and become as a lying and deceitful noble and none of these people have the right to expect me to do so. I thought for a moment the Paladin may support me in this discussion however she just stood there without saying a word. Hmm, figures once again I stand alone with my beliefs and principles getting glares from the entire party.

After arriving at our ship Seebo, Tilk and Aston were requested at the City Hall and after waiting about an hour we went to the City Hall to see what was going on. The Governor told us that he never saw our friends however Neil's spell indicated that they were below the building. Hmmm, now the Gov was lying to us, gee isn't that surprising. Then I realized that the entire group was suddenly blaming me for the abduction of our friends, at one point Casey even looked at me and told me to shut up she didn't want to hear from me. What the hell is wrong with them they are mad at me and blaming me for this, gee maybe the reason this happened was because the Governor knew that he was lied to by Kettle and thought we were hiding something. No, everyone seems to want to blame Rygorh, even Casey when it was for her life that I even lowered myself to give courtesy to a flaming Noble damn her! Damn them all! I am tired of being blamed, I feel I have done my part in trying to suppress my anger and feelings about Nobles and Law so we can work together however that has not been the case. Every time something seems to go wrong I am the scapegoat and I am sick of it, by the nine hells I still have one comment "Chaos and Havoc" thrown into my face whenever someone gets an opportunity. Well no more, I will stay out of discussions and keep my opinions to myself from here on out. If someone dies or something goes wrong then they can find someone else to blame from here on out. I will not be part of their lies, I will not support 'em nor will I have anything to do with the stories and lies they wish to spin. As I had decided, long ago friends are not worth the aggravation or the trouble.

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Seebo: The Crime I Didn't Commit . . . Yet

Back in Crescent City, we didn't even stop to unload before we made our way to the Node. It turns out the orb led us to the Town Hall. What a great place to put a Node! I mean, it wasn't as if everything else in our lives wasn't difficult enough that now we had to convince the leaders of this city to let us just wander around the Town Hall so we can raise our dead friend. This one would take some smooth talking. Too bad all we had was Rygorh and Alev.

Don't get me wrong, I think they're both great guys and they do a bang up job with just about everything else. It's just this particular situation required a modicum of tact, something Rygorh lacks. It also required a certain amount of honesty, which Alev finds mostly unnecessary. Kettle and Dinah went along just to be sure nothing bad really happened.

I'm kind of sketchy on the details of what actually happened when they talked to the Governor, but whatever they said managed to grant them access to the room they needed, and they raised Casey with little problem. Now imagine you didn't know people could be brought back from the dead. Imagine you had never seen it before in your life. Imagine you just did. People were scared.

And guess who got to reap the benefits. That's right, the Governer had me, Tilk and Ashton arrested. I spent the whole damn day in a dank and dingy cell. For what? How dare he presume to lock me up! Especially when I didn't even commit a crime this time!

More than that, he apparently brough Tilk up to his office and fed him fancy breads and cheeses and got him drunk on wine. I didn't even get table scraps. Tilk walked out with a bag full of gems. I walked out with nothing but my hat, which was undamaged thankfully.

To top it all off, the bastard had the nerve to send an "I'm sorry" basket the next morning to me and Ashton. I told the messenger to tell that pompous prick to shove it up his arse. The messenger was disinclined to deliver that message so he told him I disrespectfully declined to accept the gift. It ended up in the harbor.

I was so mad. I needed to cool off, maybe try and make some headway with some of the other things that I needed to do to get out of this Gods forsaken town. I went to Raglan's tavern, the Merry Jackdaw or something. I asked around, played some darts, drank some ale, you know the whole bit. I got their attention for sure. It didn't do any good, they just kicked me out which just frustrated me more.

So I came back again. And again. And again. They kicked me out again and again and again. I should have known to quit the first two times. Sometimes I just don't learn.

I was left without a clue on how to proceed next and all I wanted to do was get the hell away from there. Little did I know the answers would soon present themselves to me on their own.

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Seebo: Reflections on Pride

"I've come to expect the tests. I know what you're doing. You're not surprising me with them anymore. This was a good one but I beat you, admit it.

"The dwarf was skilled, I'll give you that. In some areas I'll even admit he's better than me. You wanted me to be jealous of him, to feel threatened by him, to hate him because he was just like me. Either that or you wanted to see if that's how I'd react or if I'd take the high road.

"I got news for you, mister, I'll take the high road cause that's the kind of hero I am. Keep 'em coming. I want these tests. There's nothing you can do that will make me fold in on myself. I'm a new man.

"Sure he could see things I missed. He was even pretty good with the traps in the Temple. The truth is we made a good team. He had the abilities and could take the hits. I had the abilities and could stand back and wait till he took all the hits. No, we made a hell of a team. Oops, sorry. I mean we made a heck of a team.

"Does this get me points with you? Do I have enough for you to finally say something? Anything? Just one word? Pretty soon the rest of them are going to think I'm completely off my rocker. At least Neil has his magic that shows he's one of your chosen. I got nothing. I'm just talking to air. Come on, just one word? Please?

"Whatever.

"I like Kettle. He's a nice guy. I'm still a little threatened by his abilities, but I think working with him rather than against him is the best way to do this. We are after all fighting the same fight for the same reasons. No, he's a good man and I respect him for his abilities. We all bring something unique to this fight, and I don't know that we could survive it if we all weren't here doing what we do best. I approve of your test.

"I'm kidding, don't get so uptight. I'm not that prideful to presume you need my approval. I mean you're Old Heakun for Gods' sake. But in all seriousness, the tests make me a better man. Thanks."

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Neil: 101 Questions

What bothers you my son?

Evil is spreading across the world, led by the noble Drow house Arakh. They have a head start and well laid plans. They appear to have vast financial resources, manpower, knowledge, and far better teamwork than us. Yes, order and planning are obviously favored tools of our enemies.

But you have done well thus far.

We are struggling just to stay alive; and it isn't always working I might add. Most of the time we're not even sure what we're supposed to do. Do we stop to help innocents along the way, or leave them to their fate so we might accomplish some greater good? We have a general, very abstract idea of what the greater good is, but no clue how to accomplish it. We're blundering through this war blindly.

Blindly? You have been given several obvious missions: warn Saragost, find the Ragged Man.

Yes, but who and where are the Host? What are their favorite tactics? What are the victory points in this war; the nodes, survival of the Starborn/Host? How widespread is their network of agents and troops? We know virtually nothing about our enemy or how this game is played.

And even if we were to stumble across such valuable information, would we recognize it as such? We've hardly stopped for more than a day here and there to reflect on recent events, to take a step back and look at the big picture. We're constantly rushing off to accomplish our goal, though we know not how.

Do not underestimate what you have. There are nine of you, and you grow in power.

Our abilities have grown tremendously; combat prowess, stealth techniques, spell casting. Our resources are few though. We have two Starborn items now and the orb. We're a little better equipped than we were two months ago. But we still lack knowledge and a clear path.

Where are we headed? How should we prepare? What steps can be taken to win this war? What will we encounter on our journey? Do the means matter, or just the end goal? These questions race through my mind constantly. Good decisions are based on good information, something we sorely need.

Have patience. You have a goal: acquire your Starborn items. When Nuith believes you are ready, she will show you the next step.

I suppose you're right. In the absence of knowledge, perhaps I should work on my wisdom, or better equip the group. Most of them don't recognize my crafting skills as a resource yet. We race about unsure of our destination and poorly equipped. What were those incenses and oils I needed? And where do I find powdered blue aventurine?

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Seebo: Disappointments

Once upon a time a man's talents were revered; they were cherished; the experts were shown the proper respect. There was a time when a man's ability to make a real contribution were appreciated. Those were good times.

We were resting at Father Abstinence's mission before heading to the Temple of Kharad. Through the torrential downpour came trudging a walking tin can. He showed up out of nowhere and had no clue where he was. He had to be another Starborn.

I make jokes at his expense but the truth is he turned out to be a really friendly guy. A dwarf from Underdell, apparently right here in Caldraza, so that Lady didn't have far to take him. What bothered me about him was his particular expertise. He called himself a dungeoneering expert or something. In common speak, he was a bigger, heavier, harder to hit me.

But you know what? I took the high road. Maybe he wasn't a threat to me and my abilities. Maybe he was an ally to help me do my job better. Perhaps it wasn't even my job. I mean the less danger I have to deal with the more likely I won't get burned alive? Boy was I naïve.

So we left the mission and made our way to the Temple, pretty easily at that. Neil made us walk on water and we got to the doors. Neil did some strange magic thing to open them and we all entered. Unfortunately he couldn't do the same thing to get us out so we were trapped. Only one way to go so we ventured in.

A lot happened in there, most of it important so I'll just sum up. We learned the Ragged Man did in fact reside there and he had taken 3 brides who were trapped in undeath in the Temple. We freed the Brides (in other words sent them packing on a one way trip to hell) and opened the doors to the Ragged Man's chamber. Along the way we encountered all sorts of undead monstrosities, apparently all creations of the Ragged Man. I understand he was kind of a loner but sweet mother he went to a lot of trouble.

I expected a fight once we got to him but surprisingly enough he just wanted to talk. Neil was right about him being Severil Blackthorn from the last equinox. Imagine a thousand year old wizard still lived from the last battle. How wrinkly was he! He had apparently kept himself alive by siphoning magical energy from this nifty blue orb that was keyed to the Starborn. The damn fool drained all of the nifty abilities it had and left us with a shiny bauble.

So he gave us his stuff and promptly died. The bastard was supposed to be preparing us for this equinox but instead decided to sit up in the Temple and wank off for a thousand years to his undead cronies. I was a bit pissed off, but only a little bit.

Looking back on it, I'm glad I decided to accept Kettle as an equal. I probably couldn't have done as good a job as I did without his help. I have to say, the man did know what he was doing. I still don't know how I got volunteered to be the live sacrifice to be burned alive. Oh yeah, I wasn't kidding about being naïve.

We had done what we came to do, we cleaned the Temple out of all the treasure. Information? Oh yeah, Severil told us some stuff about the Starborn and what was happening and stuff. That was the whole ‘I was here to help you but I was a selfish prick and got my rocks off on this shiny ball' thing.

We found out that most of our Starborn items were in Crescent City – how convenient – and that there was a Node there too. It was a good thing too because Casey bit the big one against the Drow. That's right, Drow.

About a dozen or so of the sneaky bastards tried to ambush us on the way back. How stupid were they? We spotted their scout and peppered him with arrows but he got away. I immediately made my way to shore and started shadowing him. The Drow turned and made their way deep into the swamp. I followed the trail up to where they made camp. I came back and warned the rest and we decided to make a decisive strike and ambush them.

We quietly made our way up to the camp but unfortunately some of us are quieter than others and some of us can't help but bang like drums when they walk. The element of surprise was lost and battle ensued. We were victorious though we lost Casey. We were able to take two prisoners back with us.

We decided to come back to the plantation, getting Casey to the Node was our first priority. It was a tough call because Greenroot's village (the swamp elf that led us in) had been wiped out by whatever was dominating the plantation. Casey was first priority but we all agreed we'd come back and fix that.

Thus ended our mostly fruitless venture into the swamp. At least we got some nifty trinkets out of it.

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