| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| cpthero2 |
Posted - 11 Dec 2020 : 06:58:20
Malakai ibn Obaidullah ibn Alnuwayasir: Journal Entry 4
25 AUG 2017
I am lost, troubled and in the company of a band of warriors & scribes.
During the expedition to find more gems, we were set upon by these … ill formed grotesque things with tentacles. They ravaged the dwarves. Hardened warriors all. May Waukeen forgive me, but I panicked. I stepped away, and tried my skill. Alas, I am not an Evocationist. My spells lack the power or utility to lay enemies low.
I backed away from the onslaught of my employees. Watching their futile efforts to combat these…beings. As the last of the dwarves charged into them, I turned and fled, fearing for what may become of me should I stay.
I don’t know how long I ran, but ran I did until I couldn’t move anymore. Exhausted, I crawled under a tree that offered hiding. A brief respite. Perhaps the scent of the boughs will hide my scent from whatever attacked us.
I nodded off briefly. The mixture of fear and exhaustion overcame my physical reserves. I notice some people approaching. I remain hiding, as banditry is rising.
When I awoke, I discovered a group of people approaching. I remained hiding, hoping to be ignored. Alas, the halfling spotted me. I stepped out and removed my weapons to make a show of peace. Hoping I would not be robbed. Discourse resulted, we were beginning to make headway on a peaceable solution when a roar shook the trees.
A bear. A very large bear. Everyone took stances preparing to fight this thing. I noticed the Halfling cast some illusion magic, in hopes of distracting the bear. Sadly, the bear did not take the bait. It started ripping up the tripping, grasping plants the other had cast. His strength and size allowing him to all but ignore the hindering movements of the plants.
After the bear closed in, the others stepped up and started battling the beast. I offered aid and it was accepted. I then proceeded to offer what support I could. I did not prepare any truly offensive spells for battle. What spells I had prepared were for utility. I may have to correct in the future.
The battle was a tough one, but the warriors were incredibly strong. Setibyr, Enalda, Donjo were amazing. I feel my efforts were minimal. I can only hope they do not turn on me in their bloodlust.
They did not, and I was welcomed into their party, conditionally. They would not be heading back to town, as they were on their own mission. Likely these are one of the many groups trying to find the cause of the disruptions. Mercenaries are as thick as the refugees these days. No matter how I feel, I aim to keep with them. They proved very capable in the face of such overwhelming odds. I simply hope I am able to aid them in their endeavors.
During our travels we met some Fey, they warned us about being negligent with their wilds. I felt relieved when they let us off with a warning and no harm.
The next night, during our rest, we were attacked by 2 large, 4 armed simian things. They worked over Donjo & Shino very thoroughly. My efforts to help were neglible yet they appreciated my efforts. I hope to continue earning their trust and praise.
Setibyr – a paladin with angelic blood. fierce tempermant and daunting martial prowess.
Enalda – sister to Setibry and also a holy warrior. Her martial prowess is without par.
Donjo – a man from a very distant land. One I am unfamiliar with. He wears odd clothing.
Shino – a woman from the same lands as Donjo. Their mannerisms bespoke the differences of our cultures.
Sahil – a quiet person, yet a boon to this party. His ability to aid the group with his divine magics is a thing of beauty to behold.
Tuck – a man of high skill, but not highly martial. I feel better knowing that you do not need to possess high levels of martial ability to function within this group.
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| 5 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| cpthero2 |
Posted - 11 Dec 2020 : 07:10:32
Choices, to investigate the Burial location, or wait out the Werewolves
Malakai ibn Obaidullah ibn Alnuwayasir's Final Entry
Tags: Blizzard Burial Investigation Death of Malakai Werewolves
06 NOV 2017
The day opens to a weather that is nice enough. As we start to exit the shrine, we notice a figure hiding in the doorway. We take stances, not certain of this persons intentions.
After some back and forth, we each step clear and discover it is an old, aged orc. Rakor I believe he said his name is. He is searching for locations to turn into trade outposts. Why he would be out in the middle of nowhere is beyond me. He is a follower of Waukeen, as I myself am a follower.
Tuck recognized him, and introduced him. It appears there is a known connection and we can trust him. Probably as far as we can trust Tuck, but considering my options, I don’t feel I have a lot of choice in the matter.
We discuss our options for the day, between exploring the grounds around the lake, or traveling north and west to investigate the burial grounds. After some deliberation, we decided to explore the burial grounds.
We begin our march, but are stopped short by very loud howls. Tuck decides to investigate further, allotting us a 3 hour window to wait. As he moves south to investigate, the rest of us move back to the shrines to wait in the comfort of shelter.
A little over a bell later, there is some howls and we notice some grass parting as it moves directly for us. I am unable to determine what is moving through the grass, but soon we see 3 humanoid bestial shapes appear on the edges of the forest. They begin moving forward, giving chase to what we can only assume is Tuck.
As the thing in the grass gets closer, we are finally able to discern that it is indeed Tuck. I prepare for battle, by placing some spells in anticipation of the path the werewolves are running. They pulled up short, nosed around a bit, then turned and left.
Tuck was kind enough to inform us that there is likely several of those werewolf creatures out there, they seem to answer to a leader of some kind as well. Once again, the options for how to proceed are presented. There are several present, myself included, that do not like the idea of wolf creatures attacking us. We also feel a pressing need to discover more about this area.
We agree upon continuing with our task from earlier, and hope that our time away will give the wolves enough time to move on or disperse.
During our travel north, we stumble upon a dead lizardfolk. No discernable marks, but it appears he has passed from exposure. While I am magically bolstered against the cold, I still feel the icy chill of death sweep over my soul imagining the circumstances this lizardfolk person experienced.
We travel until we find another of these trees they call a Wayward Pine. It is cozy, intimate even. Very little room to fully stretch out, but outside of the weather. Such things require a cost and I will gladly pay a bit of stiffness and cramping to stay out of this dreary weather.
We travel on the next day, noticing a change in the forest. Progressing from small needled trees to large branch, big leaf trees. This has a mixed blessing we discover. That evening we cannot find a Wayward Pine. So we take the tents we have, fashion a sort of wall, anchor it down as best we can, and pile up some dirt and leaves. We create a shelter of sorts, protecting us from the worse of the wind and cold.
It was to be a miserable night and the following day was worse. We spent the day, huddled in our bedrolls, only venturing forth for necessity.
Once the storm passed, we gathered up our gear, and headed onward. By mid morning, we come to a rise, and that rise leads to 2 large obelisks that stand to each side of a large entrance into the hillside. Upon closer inspection, we determine that the obelisks have religion runes marking out Torm and Red Knight.
As we continue to explore the immediate area, I [journal ends]
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| cpthero2 |
Posted - 11 Dec 2020 : 07:07:52
Discoveries in the Valley of Shrines
Mystery deepens in the Valley
Tags: Red Knight Torm Valley of Shrines
22 OCT 2017
The idle time has passed. As well as the cleaning. With our rest, we continue our investigation of the Red Knight’s underground chambers.
We have no luck gaining access to the other 2 doors, but now we have some interest in determining if the scrolls we uncovered will gain us access to Torm’s chambers.
Suddenly, we are met by Tuck. It appears he is able to enter after all. He claims it was his state of mind, and releasing his anger made all the difference. Donjo is still not able to enter.
Tuck is unable to further assist us in opening the doors, so we have a bit of a discussion. We decide to head over to Torm’s shine, and see if Makoto can gain us entrance into his chambers.
Before going in, Donjo prepares himself in his custom, and appears to make prayers to Torm. After a short wait, he gets up, and we enter. Makoto is successful in utilizing his magic’s to allow us to gain access to Torm’s chambers.
Below, we find a similar layout. The mural is different, but the doors are placed in the same locations.
With the aid of the scrolls uncovered in the Red Knights chambers, we are able to open all three doors. Inside, we find bunks, tables, and some other odds and ends. There area few martial items that look to be helpful to some of our members. The desire to leave things as intact as possible is strong with everyone, and the taking of what was left is kept to a minimum.
We did find more scrolls, equipment and books. The scrolls we used to gain access to the other two doors in the Red Knight’s shrine. We found some more historic items and a few odds and ends.
With these findings, we are now discussing the job the party was hired for. I, am working to help speed up the discovery so we may return to town. We have decided on a course of action of exploration. Wishing to uncover as much of what happened here as possible so we can update the Red Knight and Torm temples about the lost Valley of Shrines.
With the aid of Shino, I was able to discover several skeletal remains with ancient clothing on them. Shino pointed out that there were some recent scrapes & cuts on the bones that happened well after these skeletal remains had passed. Their location confirms that someone had raised these remains and used them. For what purpose is a mystery.
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| cpthero2 |
Posted - 11 Dec 2020 : 07:05:32
Idle Hands in the Valley of the Shrines
Tags: secret doors Torm valley of the shrines
25 SEP 2017
The storm continues to lash out. It’s anger and force having spent itself earlier, yet it remains prevalent.
My companions and myself while away the time trying to puzzle out the mural in the Red Knight’s shrine, as well as access to Torm’s secret vault.
There are rewards to be had. Nothing like the books make out, but still things we could sell.
I spend my time trying to make a very rough journal out of the paper I have found, and any thread I can gather. Either the leather cording in broken armor, or in frayed clothing. With luck, my perseverance will yield me a rough journal to save my precious spellbook and it’s rapidly diminishing pages.
I do not believe I will ever travel without a spare book or two from now on. Having access to paper to write notes down is incredibly valuable.
Donjo and Tuck are not able to enter the vaults under the Red Knight. A protective ward preventing people who do not hold basic values has prevented them from joining Sahil, Shinjo and myself.
Between the rudimentary journal, I am trying to roughly draw out the mural that surrounds the shrines, as well as the general area in the valley. Perhaps this information is stored elsewhere, but keeping this information for others to find is important. We must preserve what history we can.
I wonder if we will fully discover what happened here to have such a lovely, and fertile valley be so heavily desecrated.
My personal time has ended. I need to return to cleaning this shrine. While I will not be able to restore it to it’s proper glory. Hopefully, I can help unmark the desecration done to these noble gods.
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| cpthero2 |
Posted - 11 Dec 2020 : 07:03:08
So. We found the Valley of the Shrines.
The gods wanted me to find this place
10 SEP 2017
So. High winds translated to the opening intro to a typhoons coming along. Hammering into the mountains, forcing me to either die by exposure, or stay with the group and travel further in.
The winds did allow me to see differences in the land.
We waited out the storm under some trees. Shino and I spent some time teaching each other languages. Tuck spent some time addressing the horrific loss of the paladin siblinvs.
Makoto offered some insights, Sahil continues to impress me. He is an incredibly skilled caster.
Tuck has some magic capabilities. I wonder if he would be willing to share spells.
Eventually, the lay of the land, and following it, we discovered a lake, and across the river were 2 stone buildings with pillars.
Sahil managed to get across the swollen river. His capabilities continue to impress me. Donjo held and end, and the rest of us crawled across using the rope.
One building was a temple to Torm, the other to the Red Knight.
Inside, the walls, ceiling and floor were heavily marred and stained. The staining appears to be layers upon layers of waste.
We spent time cleaning a placard, only to discover there are protections surrounding the Torm statue. At one point, skeletons attacked, but from the efforts of Sahil and Shino, the skeleton were repulsed.
We made it to the Red Knight, discovered a passage as well. We could get in, except for Tuck and Donjo. Inside, we find a lovely mural, there are 3 doors. We were able to get into one room.
Inside were 12 Longsword, 12 steel shields, 12 suits of studded leather armor, as well as an old map, some paper, papyrus, ink, pens & 3 scrolls.
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| cpthero2 |
Posted - 11 Dec 2020 : 07:00:35
A Truly Dangerous World
Why is this happening: Lost comrades Malakai ibn Obaidullah ibn Alnuwayasir Private Musings Wizard's Journal
26 AUG 2017
My life has truly changed for the worse.
I went from being sold by my parents into servitude, to learning fun and exciting professions, to eagerly working to earn my place with Lady Moon, to scattered and lost. Likely I’m thought dead.
I find salvation, in an unusual form with 2 sibling paladins, some odd people from a very distant land called Wa, a quiet fellow from the streets that has a keen understanding of nature,and a bureaucrat Halfling. As my options for survival are death or go with these people, I wisely chose to continue with them.
We find a modicum of peace in search of this valley they search for. Then, the following day after another seemingly random yet I’m beginning to feel tailored attacks against us, the paladin siblings inform us they are leaving.
This upsets me, but it also thrills me. I am upset that they would abandon this quest they are on, but thrilled that perhaps we would return to civilization sooner then I originally anticipated. I wanted nothing more then to reach the comforts of a life I feel has left me behind. I temper my words. I am very much of the minority here, having only just been picked up. The stray as it were. I realize that my words have little impact, so I must use them wisely. To show favor, but temper them with the knowledge that I would prefer to follow suit.
Everyone is agreeable to following the siblings to town. What a blessing, Waukeen be praised. Perhaps I can get my message to the Gemstone Chaka after all. Perhaps I can find a new assignment. One that is less fraught with this peril. Alas, this was not in the plans of Waukeen.
Worried that the blood from the fallen monsters would attract predators, we travel a fair distance to set up a camp to rest, recover and eat. Sadly, I do not thing we will ever get a full rest. We were attacked, by something only a perverse god could think of. A tiger of such overwhelmingly large size it bordered on the ridiculous. It would have been utterly laughable if it wasn’t for how stupendously large, frightening and powerful it was.
With little effort, it killed the brother, and then killed the sister paladin. The rest of us managed to kill the tiger, but at what cost? What cost indeed. This mission of theirs to find this valley is doomed. We will die. Yet they insist on continuing. I am at their mercy.
During the fight, there is someone that may be trying to help. Another from the land, or at least, culture of Wa. Donjo and Shino do not think highly of him because apparently he is not full blooded Wa. I’m not entirely certain I understand the culture, but I feel their perceptions are short-sighted. This is not the time or place to be so very wary of those that are willing to help in such dire circumstances. Then again, what do I know. My knowledge is based on books, which leave out so many details. Like the bugs. Why do the books never mention all the bugs one deals with while out in the wilds? The persistent nature of them, by their very annoyances, should make it something to know about.
Makoto is grudgingly accepted into the group, but only just. I feel a camaraderie for him, primarily because we were not originally of this group.
Nevertheless, the passing of the siblings hurt me. On reflection, I’m rather shocked at how their passing has affected me. Quite strongly. Here they are, pious members of their faith that have taken heed from a message from their god and decided mid travel to turn about and return to their lands. I am not such a strong member of my faith that I can call myself such, but I do not doubt their religious convictions. Surely their gods would have protected them more than was offered? Then again, who am I to question their deities. I only know so much, and what I know doesn’t begin to cover their faithful understandings.
We all performed what rituals we could for them both. Their loss stuck me deeply, and I even spent a page of my spellbook to write what deeds I could about them. Their names, their faith, and the martial prowess I saw them exhibit. I hope to one day return this information to their temples at the very least. Perhaps I can pass the word of their lost life to ease a loved one’s constant worry. To give them peace. I know not.
Setibyr, a gruff holy warrior who was quick to distrust, but equally quick to forgive and place that trust in you if you showed the desire to work within his framework of understanding.
Enalda, a lovely lass deadly with her sword. Her love of her brother was only surpassed by her faith in her god.
Together, they were a formidable pair. The strength and will of this group has been seriously weakened.
The loss of the paladins has shaken me. I’m not in my right mind. I think it has affected me on a deeper level then I originally expected.
I find myself charging into dangerous situations, embracing death in an effort to make my position known. I almost cost the life of Tuck, and for what? A few coin? None I had earned.. I am ashamed of myself for what befell Tuck. I hope Sahil can heal his ear.
Shino. Poor Shino. I do not know if he will be able to cast anymore fire magics while in these hills. Not without incurring a heavy penalty from the Fey, who cursed him with a amulet. Granted, had he not taken the amulet, I believe we all would have died. In my selfishness, I find myself grateful to Shino for taking the amulet.
I predict death will fall on us all before a week runs out. This land is out to destroy us all.
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