The Journal of Illum DeMarco

[Sardinal]

2nd of Aridus, 5a116y

It's good to be back at our country estates. Father and I will have plenty of peace and ample time to continue our research here, far from the hustle of Hilltop. The journey down was pleasant, a cool breeze coming down off the mountains made the afternoons very comfortable and we didn't see even a drop of rain. We stopped at Heldaven for a few days and visited King Riordain. Though not an official state visit, the King gave us a grand feast. Father says the King was attempting to use the good relations between our families as a way to show the public that there is no need for the racial tensions developing between Hilltop and Heldaven. Sooner or later, the Kingdoms of the western confederacy will have to do something about the duergar threat, or these racial problems will persist. But that's for another day.

For now, Father and I will relax and continue our research at our rural estates in Sendell. For ages now, the devout of Thelin have postulated a series of secrets hidden within the Holy Texts. The legends differ greatly on what those secrets concern, but they have persisted for centuries, perhaps longer. Of course most priests dismiss these allegations, saying that if any such hidden secrets were truly buried within the Holy Texts, they would have been discovered years ago. Father and I, however, have always believed the rumors. He and I have been searching all the great works of Thelin for years now, convinced that these myths are true. A couple weeks ago, we had something of a break through.

Eleven different Holy Texts, when read one word from each consectutively, form verbal explanations of magical equations. These equations seem to bridge the differences between the three forms of magic, though in what ways, we're not sure. We've gathered all our books and a small library of works on the nature of magic to begin solving the mysteries of what we have found. These equations seem to be saying that there are similarities between the three fomrs of magic that can be exploited in some way. Finally, each of the eleven Holy Texts bears a single mistake within its pages. One letter, seemingly random, inserted after a period in the 3rd chapter, but before the next sentence begins. When put together, the letters form the words CIRCLE MAGIC. What this means we do not know, yet we assume it will become apparent once we understand these equations.


6th of Aridus, 5a116y,

When I said our stay here would be pleasant, I may have spoken to soon. Four days of hammering at these equations and we're no closer to solving them. Whomever placed these hidden mysteries within these tomes (Thelin?), wasn't crafting an instruction manual, but a puzzle. A damned infuriating and exhausting puzzle, at that. Still, the work is somewhat satisfying. We know, without any doubt, that these hidden messages are not simply coincidence. They have meaning, and likely one that is profound. It has something to do with the way the forms of magic interact with the world. Though each stems from a very different source, each acts on certain aspects of the world in the same way. Father believes that it may have something to do with what scholarly wizards call Descriptors. I have a hunch that he may be right.


9th of Aridus, 5a116y,

As I write this, I am watching Sendell burn. The glow of it looks like a sunset, but Thelin's Holy Light set hours ago. I'm sitting on the ground, against a tree, with Father and a small number of other people sleeping around me. Yesterday, as Father and I were working on our research on the veranda, we......Thelin's Light, I don't know how to describe what we saw. An ocean of people descending on our estates? A storm of barbarians crashing down upon us? Great Lord of Light, I don't know if my inability to describe what happened is due to the horror of it, or the fact that I havn't slept a wink since. We barely had time to gather the most important parts of our research, some supplies, and all of our servants and get out. But our estates weren't what this army of savages were after.

They plowed through our estates, and every estate we passed through on our mad dash to the city of Sendell ahead of them. We thought we would be safe when we got to the city, but that was just wishful thinking. On our way into the city, Father was attacked by the gate guards, I'm still unsure as to why. We warned King Lucas of what was coming and pleaded with him to evacuate the city. In the end, only a handful of people came with us when we left. Sendell is burning. It's people are likely burning with it, those that weren't killed directly by the barbarians, that is. We're heading north, back to Heldaven, to warn the dwarves of what is coming. We'll be stopping at a small town called Flowercliff first.

10th of Aridus, 5a116y,

We stopped at Flowercliff today. It is a small town, mostly of artisans, but they were kind and gave us shelter and food. We warned them of the barbarian horde moving north and they have moved their populace to some hidden caves in the mountains. While there, however, we met two interesting individuals. A startlingly beautiful woman named Liira, who I believe follows a Bardic Tradition of some sort. She looks vaguely familiar, as if I've met a relative, thought I cant figure out why. Her companion is also remarkable, a warrior of a monastic tradition if I'm not mistaken, named Telan. His deep blue hair and brilliant golden eyes proclaim a celestial heritage, though I have not asked concerning it as yet. Both have decided to join us on our way to Heldaven.

I still havnt slept. Every time I close my eyes I'm overcome with visions of the horrors I've seen over the last couple days. It's clear that the barbarians planned this well. They must have scouts within the confederacy already. All along the roadways we found the bodies of those they've slain. All were robbed of any precious belongings they may have had and there was ample evidence that the women and even some of the men were...abused...before they met their end. Their suffering and murder haunts me. Please Thelin, let me sleep tonight.

11th of Aridus, 5a116y,

I feel numb. I havnt slept in days now. Today, Father and I and our new companions were attacked by barbarians. Telan thinks they're advanced scouts. They could be giant orange turnips and I still couldn't find a coherent argument against it. I feel numb. I said that already. More bodies on the road. More evidence that the savages are enjoying themselves. Father is asleep right next to me. Liira seems to be sleeping soundly as well. Telan is on watch, and occasionally glances at me as if to chastise me for not sleeping. But there is no sleep. Only terror. And horror. And I feel numb. Thelin protect us.

12th of Aridus, 5a116y,

Duergar. They've haunted our society ever since their first sudden attack ages ago. They are the cause of our kingdoms stress with Hearthome. They are the cause of the racial tensions developing between Hilltop and Heldaven. Now they are back and they're infiltrating Heldaven itself. Today, after another night without sleep, we continued our journey north. After passing several destroyed watchtowers, we found one, right on the border between the kingdoms of Sendell and Heldaven, still standing and secure. But on conversing with the dwarven guards manning it, we discovered that they were inexpertly disguised duergar instead. We barely managed to defeat them.
I screamed at Telan. He has a tendency to treat his foes with a gentle touch, believing that it is better to reform them than end their life. In most times I would find this to be both enlightened and honorable. But the duergar cannot be handled so lightly. They will brush off attacks that do not drop them faster than one can imagine. Still, I should have held my temper. If I could just get some sleep. Just an hour. Maybe two. Father is clearly concerned about me. Liira even attempted a lullaby last night. We're sitting in the guard tower now, having buried the towers true guards, good dwarves the duergar slew. Father is cooking something. Perhaps, within these strong dwarven walls, I can finally sleep.
I used the signal mirror at the top of the tower to warn the dwarves of the army heading north behind us. I have no idea if those that signaled the message was received were true dwarves or more duergar in disguise. We'll find out soon enough, I suppose.

14th Aridus, 5a116y,

I did sleep. That night in the guard tower, I finally slept. My dreams weren't the most pleasant, but I got hours of rest. It was fortuitous as the last couple days have been trying as well. We were attacked several times as we continued north. The barbarians are farther into the confederacy then I would have believed possible. We have fought their horsemen multiple times now and emerged victorious, but never easily. After two more days of travel, we finally reached Southton. There we discovered that my mirror signals had been seen by the dwarves of Southton and they were mustering what forces they could.
We did our best to let them know what is coming for them. They have not the numbers to hold back the horde, in my estimation. Though, to be honest, if any people could form a bulwark for this horde to crash upon, it would be the hardy dwarves of Heldaven.
General Kreegan Granitfist has asked us to take a series of tunnels north to Heldaven. He fears the tunnels may have been compromised by the duergar, and cant spare the manpower to investigate himself. I have secured a loan from the Confederate Bank in order to help my companions and I prepare for the journey. We leave in the morning. May Thelin and Gallian protect and defend the dwarves of Southton as they attempt to hold back the savages.

16th Aridus, 5a116y,

We've almost made it to Hammerfel Keep, where the tunnels we will be traversing begin. This journey is already fraught with peril, however. We have been attacked by more of the barbarians as well as a Centaur and his Dire Wolf pets. Based on a brand found on the animals, Liira believes the centaur is part of the Barbarian Horde. Telan is no longer holding back against the barbarians. He says such servants of Chaos are too dangerous and destructive, and I agree. Were this an isolated incident, I would join him in attempting to redeem these maniacs. This, however, is war. They have declared war upon us. I don't know why yet, but it cant be coincidence that the barbarians attack just as the duergar began their infiltration. If the duergar and the war loving barbarians are in collusion, we are all in far greater danger than previously imagined. Is the Confederacy in any condition to repel such a union? How long until the Empire smells weakness and pounces? We need to get to Heldaven and then move on to Hilltop. Uncle Reese will know what to do.

On a more exciting note, Father and I have made a discovery. We've begun our research anew, a few hours each night before sleep. Tonight, we worked out a handful of branches of these complex magical equations and too our delight, were able to put them to practical use. This knowledge seems to allow one to boost the strength of spells that conform to a particular Descriptor. I have learned to apply these equations to my spells that channel light and found them impressively stronger. Father has done the same with those spells that make use of Thelin's Grace [Good]. We're making progress..

[Sardinal]

18th of Aridus, 5a116y

We reached Hammerfel Keep today. A few hours before our arrival, we encountered a pair of Owlbears. They attacked us, rage filled beasts that they are, and we felled them. We found a baby Owlbear stuck up in a large tree, however. Telan rescued the creature, and Liira kept the adorable little beast fascinated with her voice all the way to the keep. We left the cub with an animal trainer.

On the way into the Keep Liira dealt us all another surprise. When asking for our identities at the gates, she revealed patents of nobility showing her to be a member of the royal family of Hearthome! I knew there was something familiar about her. Now that I know, her Teranath blood seems evident in her face and mannerism. Its a wonder that neither myself nor father noticed it earlier. We've had precious little privacy on this journey so far, so I have yet to have the chance to ask her why she has hidden her identity for so long, but I'm sure such will come out eventually.

At Hammerfel Keep, we met Commander Renzac Hammerfel and informed him of the mission General Granitefist charged us with. He shared the Generals concerns over the tunnels and mine complex and had sent a team of his own to investigate. They weren't gone for even a day when he received a strangely garbled Sending from the teams leader that was suddenly cut off. We will be searching for the missing team as well on our own trip through these tunnels. The journey now seems a bit more ominous. Missing dwarves and dark duergar infested tunnels......Great Lord of Light, what is this world coming too?

19th of Aridus, 5a116y

We're in the tunnels now and we wont be getting out again until we reach the other side. When we first arrived, we encountered a sight that has become far to common in my life, the remains of a bloody battle. The team Commander Renzac sent was slaughtered at the entrance to the tunnels. The battle was recent and there was ample evidence that some of the dwarves had been carried off into the tunnels by their attackers. We followed immediately, hoping to catch up to them and rescue the survivors. Those hopes have been dampened somewhat, however. Just inside the entrance we found a dwarf just barely alive, pierced through by a spear and with his right arm trapped between two gears. While trying to save his life we accidentally triggered some form of trap which detonated the gears and sealed us into the mine complex. The poor dwarf was slain in the blast. Now our path is blocked by a strange and horrible mold that lashes out and freezes any who approach within five feet of it. It dropped Telan to unconsciousness almost instantly. We've tested several tactics to remove the foul substance, but nothing seems to work. Fire even seems to make it grow faster!.

Father believes he may have a way to destroy the mold, but will have to wait till the morning to pray for the correct blessing from Thelin. For now, we rest, and hope that more of the dwarves survive till we find them.

20th of Aridus, 5a116y

This has been one of the most trying days of our journey, so far. It started out well. Father prayed for his Coldfire blessing, and it worked perfectly. The mold shriveled and died under the flames of a coldfire torch. We moved quickly down the tunnel until we encounter a new form of mold, this kind yellow. It sickened Telan badly. Father says it will be several days until Telan recovers completely. The new mold, however, proved easier to deal with. Then everything fell apart.

We discovered a pair of large mold and fungus covered lumps on the walls. When we approached them, they exploded into a cloud of noxious fumes that seemed to confuse and confound my Father, Telan, and Liira. Telan immediately started babbling incoherently, Liira attacked Father, who then attacked her back. This, of course, left me to deal with the two strange mold covered duergar that had emerged from the lumps after they blew up. The ensuing battle was stressful and exhausting. Several times I was forced to abandon my attacks on the strange fungus covered dark dwarves to feed one of my companions a healing potion before they killed each other. On a brighter note, my new Dawnburst spell seems to be effective. It was what finally ended up dropping the duergar. My companions all managed to knock themselves or each other unconscious, so I used a Web spell to stick them all to the walls incase they are still confused when they awaken.

I heard what sounded like laughter just after the confusing battle. It almost sounded like a child. I've decided investigating on my own is a bad idea, so I'll wait here for my Father and friends to come to.

[Sardinal]

21nd of Aridus, 5a116y

This has been a most bizarre day. It turns out that the laughter I heard was that of a creature known as a Myconid. The strange mindless duergar we had fought were protectors of the Myconids, controlled mentally in some fashion by a form of spores that the creatures exude. This particular Myconid is very young and very small, yet carries an incredible courageousness. His name is Toadstool, though he seems to prefer 'Toady".

Toady believes that it would be best for us to travel with him to the home of his people to discuss our mission with his "King". Up ahead the tunnels we travel through split, and he says the right path will certainly lead us directly into the clutches of a huge number of Duergar. How many is unknown exactly, he seems to not be knowledgeable of numbers larger than ten or so. The other path, though dangerous, will lead us to his home.

I am fascinated by the thought of an entire race of sentient mushroom people who, by the way, speak telepathically and enable others to do so by contecting their minds with clouds of spores. I would love the chance to meet more of them and witness their society, yet I think our path lies towards the duergar. Father and Telan believe, however, that these Myconids may have information we could use and that they have to potential to become allies. I bow to their wisdom, we will leave for the Myconid Kingdom once I have rested.

22nd of Aridus, 5a116

This journey is proving very dangerous indeed. We've had to face a number of dangerous creatures that Toady himself could have simply slipped past. A group of terrifying creatures that Toadstool calls "Cave Fishers" were nearly the end of us. They use these strange thin tendrils as a spider would use its webbing, to dected movement, but then use those same tendrils to snatch and drag their prey to massive hungry mouths. At one point one of the beasts had completely swallowed Father. I remember dull reddish haze coming over me then. Thinking my Father was dead, I lashed out with all the spell I could muster, and the creature exploded. Father came bursting out of the beasts gullet on a wave of innards. In the end, we killed four of the beasts, and almost all of us ended up on the inside of one of them, albeit briefly.

After the Cave Fishers, Toady led us down a side passage where we fought and defeated a monster known as a "Hook Horror". I cant hide my disgust at the type of aberrant life that seems to take hold in these stony depths. The beast was hideous, a chitin covered behemoth with huge hooked arms and a wicked beak. Once it was put down, we slept in its cave, safe as the other natural denizens of these caves would not come near that monsters home.

Finally, after a great deal more walking, climbing, and crawling through this lightless world, we arrived at the gates to this Kingdom of the Mushroom People. I'll just say now, the journey was well worth the danger.

These people are fascinating. Their entire society is descended from a single massive fungus and they use mushrooms for almost everything. They live in mushroom houses, eat mushroom stews and steaks, sit on mushroom furniture, and drink a mushroom wine. They entire city is awash in a spore filled haze that enables their telepathic union.

The Myconid King, named Sporzan, is huge and wise. He rules his people like a father, concerned only with their protection and happiness. He, and his aides, have given us a great deal of information. They have the locations (but once again no hard numbers) of the duergar, but they have also informed us of something called a Dark Man who lives past the "Spider Caves". The images they use to describe the things they have seen are disturbingly reminiscent of a Spider, a Gauntlet, and a Bastard Sword. Katdoral, Koric, Cyian.......... This Dark Man sounds very much like a Drow and it seems like his might be in some form of leadership role among the dark dwarves. My worst fears may have just been confirmed. First the Barbarians, then the Duergar, now Drow. Could this all be part of a plan hatched in the Empire?

We leave in the morning for these Spider Caves. We're going to get to the bottom of this. But we cant stay down here forever, Heldaven and Hilltop need us, perhaps the whole of the Confederacy does as well.

[Sardinal]

23rd of Aridus 5a116y

Our trek towards these "spider caves" has already been somewhat enlightening. A few hours after leaving the Kingdom of the Myconids, Toady guiding us, we encountered a crevasse in the tunnel. 40 feet wide and 35 feet deep, ending in a well travelled road at the bottom. Along this road a Deurgar caravan was moving. It stretched into the darkness from front to back, a seemingly endless procession of Deurgar guards with human and ogre slaves moving cart after cart of material. The tunnel we were moving down ran perpendicular and above the road, continuing on the other side of the crevasse.

After a great deal of discussion, we determined that we could not just leave the slaves to their plight. We attacked the caravan from above but the ensuing battle nearly killed us all. A half dozen Deurgar defended the caravan and ordered two of the Ogre slaves to aid them. The fight was bloody, each of us coming out of it with many wounds...fatal wounds if not for the healing grace of Thelin channeled by my Father. That was hardly the worst, however. It turns out the fight was largely for naught. The slaves were bound by some devious enchantment magics, too powerful for us to break. Even with their captors slain, they continued their work as ordered. We agonized over the decision, Talon most especially, but determined that we had no choice but to leave them. Our mission is too critical. The Deurgar and the Barbarians will pay for this. They will pay for every life they have forced us to abandon. Great Thelin, please bring me the peace of mind and clarity to find a way through this. I hate what this war is doing to me....and it's only just begun.


24th of Aridus, 5a116y

Well, the spider caves certainly lived up to their name. Toady, our ever brave myconid scout led us faithfully to them. A series of tunnels that led to a massive chasm. Every surface covered in webbing, with more of the webs forming a "floor" over the chasm. Our path, unfortunately, led us over the webs to the other side of the chasm. Naturally, that is when we were attacked.

It started as swarms of tiny spiders descended upon us, tenacious and nauseating in their attempts to poison us. They crawled over us all, and I was forced to exhaust nearly all of my Second Circle spells to clear them away. It was only then, with all of us weakened by poison, that we discovered these spiders we being directed. A voice spoke to us from the darkness, promising us leniency for our surrender. We refused, of course, and were immediately attacked by more spiders, far far larger this time. In a running series of combats, the voice would taunt us and send more of its filthy arachnid minions after us, until finally we had destroyed them all. Then we faced the master.

Truth be told, I never got a good look at the monster. Liira and Telan agree that that's a good thing, as it was some monstrous hybrid of a Drow and a Spider that father called a "Drider". From the darkness it cast a spell and a fireball erupted above us, destroying the webbing holding the spider web "floor" under us. Liira, Telan, and Father managed to hold to the webs, but I fell. I cant describe the horror of it. A deep, seemingly bottomless cavern and I was falling through it. I thought I was dead. The web-wrapped bodies of the spiders previous victims fell with me, and I grabbed onto them, hoping to find something that would arrest my fall. A rope, and scroll, anything. I fell for what seemed like minutes, never reaching the bottom, when I found the staff.

Above me, though I didn't know it, my father and our companions continued the battle. I understand it was a short-lived affair, ending with the Drider under the effects of a confusion spell, and stunned, falling through the chasm as well. Meanwhile, I had figured out the staff in my hands was a Staff of Transmutation. I used it to turn myself into an eagle and began to fly back up the pit. Liira, not knowing that I was safe, hurled herself into the pit after me. It was one of the bravest things I've ever seen. I did end up having to rescue her, transforming back to my human form to fall after her, use the staff on her, then once again on myself. Needless to say, Telan and my father were shocked to see two eagles emerge from the pit, once bearing the holy symbol of Thelin and the other bearing one of Sierra on their feathers.

We discovered the Driders lair, and destroyed the alter to Katdoral we found there, as we as a strange magical tapestry. As I write this, we're still in its hole of a home, resting. There was a tunnel leading out behind the tapestry and we will continue our trek after some much needed rest.

[Sardinal]

27th of Aridus, 5a116y

We are in Heldaven. Finally. The days of darkness and battle through the tunnels are over. Not without further incident, though.

After a "night" (Not knowing what time it actually was on the surface) of poor sleep, all of us sweating and shaking from the spider venom, Father regained his spells and purged the venom from our bodies. We pressed forward, following the tunnel in the Drider's lair. The tunnel led to a strange intersection, with a path leading north and a path leading south. The intersection was heavily reinforced with finely crafted bulkheads and support beams. It appeared that the intersection was underneath or next to a large underground lake and that the reinforcements we shoring it up against collapse and flood.

We explored the northern tunnel, and discovered that it led to an immense cavern that was serving as the staging grounds for an army of Deurgar. Their were thousands of them in neat orderly camps. Our estimates said that we were very close to being under Heldaven itself, so the purpose of this army was clear. They meant to attack the city from below while the barbarian laid siege from above. They had several of those strange worm creatures that had been used during their assault on Hilltop.

The southern tunnel led to something equally disturbing. Mindflayers and slaves. The cavern they were in was smaller, and the slaves were toiling to unearth...something. We don't know what. It felt like evil. Vileness and Darkness seemed to radiate from a large chunk of stone at the center of the cavern. The slaves where carefully chipping away at the stone, slowly uncovering what ever it was inside it.

Even more disturbing, were a handful of individuals watching the progress from above. Liira identified two of them. Zaithan Del'thiir. Consul of Lark and Lord of the Western Eros, and Kari Shassa-Telan: Queen of the Undead Kingdoms and Chosen of Chal-Sue.

We retreated back to the intersection and determined that we could break the reinforcements to flood one cavern or the other. Truth be told, most of the work had been done for us by a man named Jackenirva. He was a slave who had managed to escape his thralldom and hide from his captors. We found the letters he had been writing to his love, Matilda, as well as his carefully hidden plans for the collapse of the bulkheads. He described the effects of being in proximity to the power in the sourthern cavern. He also described a dream. Though none of us dare to fully belive it, the dream has given us hope that we are not alone in this fight. In his dream he was visited by The Lady of Love, The Craftmaster, and The Lord of Chaos. They gave him the hope and strength to finish his analysis of the reinforcements and cleverly hide them for us to find. He died shortly after of what looks to be lead poisoning.

Despite the terror and power in the southern cavern, we decided that we could not allow Heldaven to fall to the Deurgar/Barbarian one-two punch. We collapsed the bluwarks and drowned the deurgar army in an unstoppable torrent of water. Great Thelin, I know they are my enemies, I know they are evil, I know they wont hesitate to murder and enslave my people, yet in my heart I confess guilt over this action. Thousands, possibly tens of thousands lay dead, floating in a dark drowned cavern because of us. I'd make the same decision again if I had to, We cant allow Lark and their Deurgar and barbarian allies to take the Confederacy, but I never once thought I would be responsible for so much death. May Lord Sardinal ferry their souls to whichever home they belong too, and may Great Thelin forgive me for my hand in their watery end.

28th of Aridus, 5a116y

We spoken to His Majesty, King Ryordane Stoneshoulder of Heldaven. The city is already under seige by the Barbarian Horde. It was almost heartbreaking to have to be the ones to tell him about both the deurgar and the Larkane Royalty under his city. He was pleased we managed to destroy the deurgar army (Thelin forgive me), and began to process to further reinforce the city from below.

He has asked us to move on to Hilltop. Father and I must warn the King there of what is coming and convene a meeting of the Council of Twelve in order to mobilize the Confederacy against the threats it now faces. We've taken a day to recuperate and regear. We have much much further to go.

[Sardinal]

29 of Aridus, 5a116y

The King is dead. My uncle, the wisest man I've ever known, The Radiant King Reese DeMarco, King of Hilltop and High Servant of Thelin is dead. My world is being destroyed.

We took the leylines from Heldaven to Hilltop. I've used leyline transportation many times, but this felt weird. It felt like the leyline was resisting us. Almost like it resented us traveling along it. When we arrived at the Dardanite Temple in Hilltop the room was abuzz with activity. The priests seemed concerned, some even frightened. They leylines were behaving erratically, we could feel the charge of power in the air and hear the crackle and rumble of magic flowing through it. If I didnt know better, I'd say the leyline was angry. The Dardanites promised to keep us informed.

The city streets were packed with people. Refugees from the south, farmers running to the cities on rumor, and citizens of Hilltop alike all swarming the streets. Their fear and frustration was palpable, like a thick fog of nervousness. As we headed to the Palace we saw groups huddled around individual speakers. Rabalrousers were egging the people on, feeding their anger and their frustration with poison words towards the nobility and the dwarves. The blatant lies were stunning to me, but the people, in their fear, were buying into it. My Father and Liira stood to counter one speakers fallacious arguments. Naturally, when confronted by truth, the liar jumped off his soapbox and fled. My companions stayed to continue reassuring the people, but out of curiosity, I chose to follow the speaker. He turned down a darkened alley, quickening his pace as he noticed me following. I cast a Dawnburst around him, my intention to startle him with harmless magic, but instead he screamed as the light pierced him. The Dawnburst spell only harms those naturally sensitive to light, so the man must have been drow or deuregar in disquise. He got away, unfortunately, but I had all the proof I needed to see that the empire had already infiltrated Hilltop. Little did I know how far that infiltration went.

We continued to the Palace, stopping to counter the treasonous speech of other rabal-rousers as necessary. When we arrived, we were taken immediately to the Kings chambers by a servant who seemed surprised to find my father at the gates. Apparently this servant thought he had just escorted my father to His Majesty, the King. We ran to the Kings Chambers, but were to late. The image of my Uncle, lying in his bed with blood pooling around him and running down his arm to the floor was seared into my mind. I was stunned. My Father was stunned. We locked down the Palace, but as the killer walked in wearing my Fathers face, my actual father had to be secured in his chambers while the truth was discovered. Proving my Fathers innocence was swiftly accomplished with the aid of the Temple of Thelin, but the actual assassin was never found.

I know the Empire of Lark is behind this. Dueregar, drow, Zaithan Del'Thiir and Kari Shassa-Telan, Assassination and deception. This has all the hallmarks of the vile Emperor of Lark. We're calling a meeting of the Confederate Council, Heldaven must be helped and these acts of war must be answered. In the meantime, I'm investing money into researching more powerful versions of the Dawnburst spell. It seems like a magic that can harm and reveal only deuregar and drow is going to become very useful. I'll continue this later, I must go and aid in the preparations for my Uncles state funeral and the coronation of my Father, Radiant King Ebon DeMarco.

The King is Dead, Long live the King.

[Sardinal]

29th of Cambrine, 5a116y

Politics. As a Prince of Hilltop I was raised to understand politics. I, a scion of a great Thelinite House, was raised to believe politics and diplomacy were the tools we used to serve our people with nobility, to aid our allies with trust and friendship, and to treat with our foes with compassion and dignity. Now, however, I see politics with new eyes. It is the tool the foolish use to hide behind words. It is the trusted friend of those too interested in maintaining the status quo rather then face what Liira calls The Coming Storm. The politics of the Confederacy has been corrupted by self-serving men and now we lay fractured and torn at the moment of our greatest need for unity.

Its been three weeks since I've sat down to write in my journal. My Uncles funeral, my Fathers coronation, and weeks of work have kept me busy. I have begun organizing all of the various magical institutions of Hilltop, using myself as an intermediary to begin forming a structure in which they can all work together for the common good. The work is slow, but shows great promise. We have also sent military aid to Heldaven, and have begun calling in more. We have called on the militant orders of the churches, the militias of the country side, and the mercenary might of the houses to bolster the defenses of our cities. It will not be enough, but its a start.

A few days before we left for Hilltop the Church of Dardanis sent word that messengers from Heldaven would be arriving via the leylines. Father, Liira, Telan, and I walked to the temple to greet them and get the latest news of the siege. Their arrival, however, was disrupted by the strange behavior of the leylines. The receiving chamber crackled and snapped with excess arcane energies. The Dardanite priests still couldnt tell us what was causing it. In a flash of angry purple-white light a dwarf was suddenly standing on the platform. Blue smoke rose from him as the leyline spat him out. None of his companions, however, made it. It was later discovered that they leyline spat them out at random intervals along the path between here and Heldaven. For safety, Father and the Dardanite priests have banned leyline travel until the cause of this can be determined and corrected.

The Dwarf that did make it through is named McGunroy Granitefist, cousin to General Granitefist of Heldaven. He was able to give us more detailed numbers of the Barbarian Horde as well as inform us of the remarkable feats of communication his guild is capable of. Father was particularly impresses and recruited McGunroy to stay with us so we always have access to his abilities. The Dwarven ranger agreed, but only if we would send one of our best in his place to aid in Heldaven's defense. Telan agreed to go. I will miss him, as I have come to depend on his patience and wisdom. I'm sure, however, he will be able to accomplish much good in Heldaven, and we will see him again.

This morning we arrived in Hearthome for the meeting of the Council of Twelve we called. The city is packed with refugees running from the steady westward march of The Empire of Lark as it expands towards the Great Divide. On our way to the council we bought out every baker and general store we passed to help feed as many of these people as we could. Hearthome is packed near to bursting.

The Council Meeting itself has been a discouraging experience, to say the least. Vaspacian Corronaught, the Steward of Hearthome throughout the Kings mysterious illness, has been helpful. Hearthome has promised great military aid for Heldaven. He was, however, distressed to see Liira reveal her royal parentage. He seems genuinely interested in protecting her yet it is hard to trust the man who seems to benefit most from her Fathers illness and her own exile. Every other member of the council had to be bartered with, cajoled, bought, or pushed into aiding Heldaven. Three members didnt bother showing up. One of the Confederacies largest cities has been sacked and burned, its people slaughtered or worse, and these cowardly men can barely be bothered to mount a defense. My faith in the Confederacy as an institution has been shaken by this display of wanton ignorance and selfishness. Despite the refugees filling Hearthomes streets and our personal experiences with seeing the deurgar and Larkane Royalty involved, they also seem to doubt the Empires involvement with these events. They have been blinded, some by greed and some by complacency, but some, I fear, by Lark itself.

Later in the evening, we attended a formal dinner for the Council members. In the most distressing display yet, we were told the the Emperor of Lark, his wife, and a small retinue were in attendance. They were allegedly seated in a magically darkened suite. I dont know if it was true or merely a power play, but in either case the results are damning. If the Emperor was truly here, in all his vile power, then it means he is no longer intimidated by the overwhelming numbers the confederacy can bring to bear against Lark should the need arise. If it was a sham, then someone (Vasspacian?) was using fear to gain power over his fellows. It may not tell us eactly who has been corrupted by Lark, but it is evidence of Lark's corruption spreading none the less.

The incredibly talented minstrel Fredrick Quicksilver was in attendance. He gave an amazing concert that ended in a surprise performance by him, Liira, and Vasspacian. It was unbeleivable, even my dour mood was lifted by these three great talents coming together to inspire their audience. Liira and Father made the most of this attention, giving impassioned speeches about unity and the need to defend our dwarven bretheren.


30th of Cambrine, 5a116y

I sit here, out of the city amongst a group of refugees 5000 strong, writing in my journal by the light of a Holy being brought to me by a miraculous man, after witnessing a true miracle. Today has been both the worst and the greatest day of my young life.

It started with more frustration. The second day of meeting of the Council of Twelve brought some good news. We have managed to secure aid from many of the great cities of the Confederacy, but many had to be bought with gold or service to get it. The two day old reports from our new Dwarven companion McGunroy aided a great deal in convincing some of the serious nature of the threat we face. We have agreed to help transport 5000 refugees to a new home as well as track down the heirs to the throne of Misreas so that the Succession may procede there. I dislike the secret alliance between Councilman Dreven and this Count Revenin of Drunmore, but we need their aid. We also bought the mercenary forces of Medovar to help scout and count the barbarian hordes. I am dismayed to find that many of the rulers of the great cities are playing games behind their peoples backs. Dangerous games of concealing truth to solidify power. There is a growing sentiment among a few of the nobles of these cities the the confederacy is broken and must be fixed or abandoned. I find myself in agreement. If we survive what is coming much will have to change.

After the council meeting, we left to meet the refugees and get under way. While walking through the city, horror struck. As a student of the great clerics of Hilltop, I've learned much concerning undeath, but their teachings didn't prepare me at all for what I saw. A wave of undead bodies rushing down the street, attacking and devouring any living in sight. Within seconds of being bitten, the dead rose up to join the horde. It was a nightmare. My Father, Liira, McGunroy and I fought our way through the horde, rescuing people as we could. I was dumbfounded as to how such a virulent undead strain was unleashed upon the city until we walked through and alley and were jumped by drow assassins. The vile creatures orchestrated an undead plague as a distrcation to kill us and apparently kidnap Liira. They jumped out of Darkness spells and attacked, knocking Liira unconscious immeadiately. We fought back, using Thelin's Light to push back the Darkness.

As long as I live I will never forget what happened next. Liira, unconscious on the ground, McGunroy battling a Drow Assassin, the second drow spins to my Father and plunges a bastard sword through his chest. The whole world slowed around me as I watched each inch of that accursed blade sink though my Fathers heart. I lashed out with every spell I could, finally killing my Fathers murderer, but the other Drow vanished. I remember hearing my heart hammering in my ears, I remember looking down on my Fathers body in confusion and terror. Then I started running. I dont have a clear memory of my thoughts, only that I had heard that The Chosen of Thelin, Myrr Valar was among the refugee camps. Mcgunroy carried my Father and followed me.

I found The Lord's Chosen and begged him for his aid. He agreed that a second Thelinite King being murdered in a month would be too massive a blow for the confederacy and the Faith to accept. With his aid we were able to convince the Church of Sardinal to return Father to the living. What price Myrr will pay to the Sardinites I do not know, but I will be forever grateful to him and them. The ritual itself was beautiful, performed in one of the most ancient temples of Sardinal in the world. When Father awoke, he had no memory of what transpired here or to him after his death.

I cant imagine a miracle greater than seeing my slain Father returned to life before my eyes, but Lord Myrr wasn't through passing the blessings of Great Thelin yet. After helping us get my Father back he spoke to each of us about the acts we had taken to protect the people of the Confederacy thus far, and our plans for the future. He seemed intrigued and please with my plans to untie the spellcasters of the Confederacy, but said I would need a light to help guide me and a trusted companion to bolster and aid me. I wasnt sure what He meant, but he took me to Heathome's enormous and ancient temple of Thelin. There, in a ritual summoning chamber he brought forth a celestial being from Thelin's Holy Realm. A lantern archon named Nimbivirtuus, Nimbus in the common tongue. There, in that sanctuary, Nimbus became my familiar.

Nimbus is fascinating to me. He is a being of pure goodness and light. He hides nothing, and is as honest and open as a child. His moods are written in the soft colors that suffuse his radiant form and his cheerfulness and earnest innocence are readily apparent in the humming notes he emits. Though fully capable of speech, he tends to converse only when we are alone, interacting with others mostly though his lights and tones. The familiar bond gives me a direct empathic connection to his boundless optimism and nobility of spirit. I have served Thelin all my life, but somehow I find my Faith bolstered to new heights now that I am bound, soul to soul, to this celestial being.

The forces arrayed against us plotted to make this day one of Horror, Death, and Mourning. For a brief period, they succeeded. With Thelin's Grace, however, this black day was turned to bright joy. I witnessed two miracles today. My Father being returned to life, and the joining of my soul to a celestial being. I learned today the simple truth of one of the oldest idioms of Thelin's Faith, THERE TRULY IS NO DARKNESS THAT CAN WITHSTAND THE LIGHT.


8th of Kolvetus, 5a116y

Summer is here, and it has brought storms with it. We finally managed to get our refugee train moving many days ago. Our troupe is made of groups from four different regions. Captain Einhart, an ex-member of the Hearthomian Guard leads the largest contingent. Men named Cratus, Limeran, and Taldel lead the other three, each mostly made of people from the other side of the Great Divide that have fled the expansion of Lark. The journey started well enough, but the second day out it began to rain. It kept raining for more than a week. We had to stop and find cover for a few day to help the refugee stave off illness from the constant wetness. An illness did flare up among Taldel's people, but with his aid and despite his distrust of us, we managed to stop it from spreading to the other camps and keep most of his people healthy. During this time I discovered some of his people worship a dark power. Though not Katdoral worshipers, this group does gain its shamanic abilities from darkness. I am most uncomfortable with this, as is Father and Nimbus. I have attempted to befriend Taldel and some of these people. Hopefully, with the friendship and intervention of myself, father and Nimbus, we can lead these people back into the Light.

Speaking of Light, thanks to the many abilities of my new companion, we have been able to outfit almost all of the refugees with everburning torches. They may not give off heat, but the ever present light has been a gift through this week of storms.

When the rain finally broke 12 days after it began, we began moving again in earnest. We stopped only to remove a threatening pack of owlbears from the path of our Refugee train. I have fought owlbears before, but the male leading this group was truly a monster. Fully twenty feet tall, it had developed a terrifying sonic roar that peeled the bark clean off the trees around it. Our talented group, however, made short work of the beasts. Nimbus proved very useful in his first battle, allowing me to completely negate the Owlbears standard tactics of bearhugging their prey to death. We stopped long enough to smoke and salt the owlbear meat, bring much needed provisions to our merry band of refugees.

Nimubs and I spend most of our time moving up and down the refugee train. We stop and speak to all the people, bolstering moods and giving words of encouragement. Nimbus, unsurprisingly, is quite fond of entertaining the children and they, in turn, seem to love watching him. They chase him in endless games of tag and sing along with the hums and tones he emits. All in all, I feel that while this trip is taking away from what is certainly the more important work of mounting the confederacy's defense, we are still doing good work. Work that will hopefully solidify our bond to our allies.

[Sardinal]

14th of Kolvetus, 5a116y

The past few days have been quite refreshing. We've had nothing but blue skies and sunshine ever since the rains blew themselves out. Its warmed up considerably, but the heat feels wonderful. I feel like we may have passed through the worst of this journey.

I've been spending more time with each of the groups travelling in our caravan. The groups tend to stick to themselves, but Liira and I have been trying to organize some inter-group dinners to foster some sense of community between them. Once we get them to their new home these people will be neighbors, it makes sense to help them start building relationships with each other.

What time I'm not spending with the caravan and Liira has been spent on research. Father and I are making significant progress in this mystical puzzle Thelin has laid out for us. My spells that channel the power of light have strengthened considerably, as have Fathers that call on Thelins holiness. We're still stuck on some of the more complex questions of melding magics in a unified way, but we'll get there.



27th of Kolvetus, 5a116y

Summer is in full swing. Too full, to be perfectly honest. The heat has been building steadily, a little hotter each day. McGunnroy has been grumbling about it. Our water supplies are getting a little low, we're talking to the leaders of each group about starting to ration it a bit more. It's been so hot, and so exhausting that I've had little inspiration to write in my journal. By the time we have camp set up every night, I'm achy and want to just relax and try to cool off.

Over the last week or so I've noticed something about myself. Whether I'm walking with the caravan, or inventorying the supplies, or working on my research, whenever my attention wanders or I get lost in thought my eyes seek out Liira. Just twenty minutes ago I had leaned back against a wagon wheel while mulling over an equation and when I bent back over my notes I discovered I was once again looking in her direction. Nimbus seems very amused by it, though I'm not sure why.


15th of Emil, 5a116y

This heat is unbelievable. During the day is is sweltering, oppressive, and exhausting. At night it is only slightly less so. We've had to go out of our way almost every day to find water. Mcgunnroy has proven himself to be excellent at finding water, he seems to have a very close connection to the natural world. He's been stomping and grumbling for days not that this heatwave doesnt seem natural, but we've seen droughts before. It cant last forever.

[Sardinal]

24th of Emil, 5a116y

Our situation is once again approaching desperate. The heat, if possible, has further increased. There is no wind, no clouds to shield us, no respite. McGunnroy is the only thing keeping us alive. Everyday, just after breakfast, he wanders away from the caravan for a while. When he returns he brings with him information about where the closest water is, where possible shelter may be found, and how far off track we will have to go to get to them. Nimbus, ever curious, followed him out one day last week. He returned with tales of McGunnroy communing with some dwarven apparition. Our Dwarven wilderness guide seemed both surprised and irate when I asked him about it. He seemed to think that Nimbus shouldn't have been able to see the spirit, and told me in no uncertain terms that I was to keep Nimbus away from his ancient dwarven secrets. I assume from that exchange that he is communing with ancestor spirits somehow, but I'll refrain from investigating any further. He's prickly about it and I dont want him angry at me.

However he does it, his efforts are all that keeps us moving, though we are seldom moving forward. If my estimates are correct, we now spend so much time on the hunt for water, food, and shelter we have lost weeks of travel time. We may have even been in Vallea by now if it werent for this drought.

The few pack and labor animals we have in the caravan are fairing poorly, but its the people that are fairing the worst so far. We've lost a few of the older and infirm already, and several more as well as many of the young are in dire shape. McGunnroy swears this cant be a natural phenomenon but both Father and I agree that weather manipulation on this scale over this distance would be nigh impossible. Still, its hard to ignore McGunnroy's insistence that someone is doing this on purpose.



6th of Sardis, 5a116y

Father, Liira, Mcgunnroy and myself all now agree that this infernal heatwave is not natural. We've informed the leaders of each group that we believe someone is attempting to either slow or kill us and that we are going to have to take more drastic action to solve this dilemma. We've lost over two dozen more people, we cant wait any longer.


8th of Sardis, 5a116y

I need to describe what I saw tonight. I can barely write this through my shuddering. I suppose I should start at the beginning.

Two days ago, we decided we were going to have to find a place that the whole caravan could camp and stay somewhat safe while Liira, Mcgunnroy, my father and I left to find what is causing this drought and put a stop to it. It took a couple days, but McGunrroy found us a spot in the shade of some large rocky outcroppings that would allow some of the caravan to rest in the shade. We began a round-table discussion with the leaders of the groups to find ways to producing more shade from the punishing sun. Many ideas, including casting darkness spells on kites to form fake cloud cover were discussed, but ultimately we decided to appeal to the small coven of shamans among Taldel's group for aid. They agreed, and though I cant disagree with the results, what I saw was deeply disturbing.

After sunset, I watched from what I thought was a safe distance as they began their strange ritual magics. They danced around burning logs lit with fire that cast no light. Their ominous chants echoed around the campsite. They hailed the darkness that belongs to the Lord of Evil and that darkness responded. The night pulsed with inky blackness that welled up from under rocks, from peoples shadows, even from their eyes and mouths. As the ritual went on, I could feel the darkness pushing at my very psyche. Nimbus was terrified, and begged me to leave with him. I'm very glad now that I did. Whatever else happened at this ritual I'll never know for certain, but the result was a large shield of shadow projected into the sky like a massive umbrella. Between it and the outcroppings the entire caravan is now able to rest out of the burning sunlight. I dont know what to make of this shamanic group. They clearly worship the darkness that is Katdoral's, yet they have used their power to shield thousands of good, Thelin loving people. I cant bring myself to completely trust them, yet I cant simply dismiss them as fallen or evil.

Regardless, My Father, my friends and I leave in the morning to discover the source of the constant foul weather that has plagued us ever since we left Hearthome. McGunnroy estimates that we have maybe a week before the caravan uses up all the water at this campsite and runs through the stores we have left them. Father estimates that even with the shade, we will still lose quite a few more to the heat. Please Holy Thelin, guide us to a way to end this suffering and get these people to safety.

[Sardinal]

15th of Sardis, 5a116y

It has been a frightful, worrisome, exhausting, and downright bizarre week. To be frank, I'm still trying to understand everything that has happened. It started the morning we were to leave to hunt down the cause of the heatwave. After some deliberation Father attempted some divination magics to find us a stating point for our search. The auguries failed to deliver any information we could understand, however.

We decided to head east and left a couple hours after sunrise. The heat was unbelievable. I felt like I could start to melt at any moment. We traveled for an uneventful day before we first encountered the raven. A most peculiar raven. It circled us several times then would suddenly shoot off to the south east for a bit. If we followed it would continue, if we stopped or turned it returned to pester us until we began trailing it again. McGunnroy was unable to explain its behavior. we decided to take the bird as a sign that someone, somewhere, was on our side in this and trying to help. We followed the bird for two days. During the evening after the second day, we first heard the monsters.

Frightful roars from the darkness echoed across the scorched plains. At first we assumed we were being hunted. After some searching, however, we discovered an even worse reality. Creatures, we weren't sure exactly of what kind, were following the tracks the caravan had left when it had passed this area days ago. Very large reptilian creatures, from what Mcgunnroy could ascertain from the tracks. We had no idea if those we had left behind would be able to defend themselves from this threat and so, to the screeching protestations of the raven, we turned around to chase down these creatures.

We raced through the sweltering evening and deep into the night before we caught the beasts. To my shock, they were dinosaurs. Massive, hungry dinosaurs. When I was young, my tutors taught me much of the history of the founding of Farshore and the strange monsters that inhabit the islands. My young imagination ran wild with the delightful tales of island tribes riding dinosaurs and Farshore training them to guard the bay. The reality, I can assure you, was far more terrifying.

There were three of them, two slightly smaller being led by an enormous Alpha. McGunnroy tried to calm them, but they rebuffed his attentions and attacked. It was only after we had been forced to slay them, a feat I dont care to try again, that we discovered why. The beasts were marked. Branded with the sigils of House Del'Thiir and the Lotus Arena. These were trained beasts, ones normally reserved for fights in the foul bloodsport of the Empire. It serves now as further proof that the minions of the Emperor seek to hamper My Father, Liira, and myself from our mission to defend the Confederacy. I had Nimbus teleport to back to the caravan to inform them of our findings and warn them that there might be other such creatures. He returned shortly afterward with tales that the caravan had already been attacked. Several were lost as creatures, smaller than those we fought, attacked in the night and ran off with their victims. Despite their situation, however, the leaders of the caravan told us to continue our search. The heat was still the most urgent threat.

To the ravens relief we returned to following it's lead. We stopped only to rest our mounts and get some sparing sleep when we had to. After a couple more days of this, we were led to a massive stone spire. A natural spike of rock jutting out of the surrounding plains about four hundred feet into the air. When it first appeared in sight it looked like nothing more than an enormous needle stabbing the sky. As we slowly approached, though, it turned out to be several hundred feet around at the base, narrowing a bit at its peak.

Our avian guide seemed to indicated that this spire was our destination. We resorted to Fathers magic to ascend the spire, walking on the very air itself. It took some time, but less than climbing would have, if indeed climbing had even been an option for Father or myself. At the top we found an ancient temple, carved into the top of the stone spire itself, and evil was guarding it.

We were almost immediately confronted by a drow and his cohorts. Father identified them as followers of an ancient war diety, long since dead.  These men had corrupted and now worshipped Katdoral. They were also trained roc riders, and they took to the sky to defend their unhallowed temple. The battle was trying. Liira managed to unmount the leader, stunning his mount in mid dive. The huge bird slammed into the peak and sent its vile blackguard flying from the saddle. Lirra attempted to deal with the mount, while Mcgunnroy and Father attended to the Knight of Katdoral. Meanwhile, I was occupied with the other two roc riders. I sent spell after spell into the sky at them as they dove and clawed at us. They attempted to carry Liira off and drop her off the side of the spire, but Fathers Airwalk was still in effect.

After what seemed like an hour of fighting, but was in fact merely a couple minutes, the blackguard was defeated. He laughed as he died, informing us that his death was meaningless and darkness was coming. As if we hadnt already figured that out. The fools in Hearthome may ignore the evidence, be we wont.

We entered the temple and...honestly, I still can barely describe what we saw. It was profane. Some sort of magical contraption of tubes and pumps and cogs and gears, all of it aglow with hellish power. The very air seemed to vibrate with the suppressed screams of tortured souls. Evil radiated from this infernal machinery, an evil so palpable it turned my stomach just to be in its presence. There were a couple of dried corspes as well, though we dont know what they were doing there. We had little time to investigate. The blackguard had activated a failsafe that was causing the corrupt machinery to overload and destroy itself. He no doubt hoped it would take us with it. We fled the temple, with what little we had gleaned from its horror, began to Airwalk to the ground. Shortly after that the temple, and the entire top of the spire, exploded. Rock and dust were sent flying. On the ride back we wold find debris more than a mile away.

Whithin hours of the destruction of The corrupted temple of Katdoral, the weather returned to its normal summer patterns. The heat receded, moist air blew in from the north west and brought a gentle summer rain with it. Father, Liira, Mcgunnroy and I returned to the caravan triumphant. Our triumph, however, was tempered. In the days we were gone twenty more had succumbed to the heat and dehydration. Fourteen more to attacks from beasts in the night.  We held funerals for the fallen.  

We're back on the move again. We have hopes of reaching Vallea in a couple weeks now, and from there hopefully being able to begin moving downriver by barge. I dont understand the vile power we have seen at work, and though we have used McGunnoy's talents as well as Nimbus to communicate the news to our allies, they seem unconvinced still. This cant continue. The Confederacy is broken, and I'm beginning to underestand that it wont be fixed until someone stands up and decides to fix it themselves. Father, Liira, and I have a great deal of work to do.

[Sardinal]

4th of Nartuth, 5a116y

We've arrived in Vallea finally. After the incident at the spire we encountered no further drama or incidents. The rest of the trip was almost relaxing, to be honest. We spent most of today organizing the camps outside of Vallea and then Father, Liira, McGunnroy and I headed into town. After speaking to numerous people, it is apparent that simply waiting here for barges and ships is not going to work. We've decided to head down river to Greyhurst without the rest of the caravan. Hopefully we'll be able to hire enough barges there to move the entire caravan down to Bluehurst. If not, we will continue on to Bluehurst and hire them there. The caravan will rest here. I can only hope that the trip down river will be swift and uneventful.

Father and I have managed to get some further research done. I must admit a trepidation emerging about our findings. The sheer power these secrets contain, the magical might we think they could grant those that unlock them is both awesome and frightening. We've taken the precaution of committing our research to memory and destroying our notes. It slows us down a bit, the the thought of this power falling into the wrong hands is terrifying. On the other hand, it is clear that to us that Thelin's hand guided our finding these secrets. Our new Circle Magic may be the very thing needed to beat back the onslaught marching toward us.

[Sardinal]

6th of Nartuth, 5a116y,

So much for an uneventful trip down the river. We purchased a large row boat in Vallea and the four of us set out for Greyhurst. Our first day of travel was quite pleasent. We took turns manning the oars, enjoyed some fresh caught fish for our meals, and Liira entertained us while working on new portions of her epic. It was the kind of day that made the weight of our collapsing world and the responsibilities of our nobility fade, if just for a bit. Nimbus, of course, seemed intent keeping my attention on Liira, not that I needed his prodding. I think he may have recruited Father in his scheming, however. He gets this knowing smirk whenever Liira and I are speaking and gives Nimbus amused glances when he thinks I'm not looking. The whole thing is mildly embarrassing, made even more so because I'm quite sure that Liira sees through the entire charade. I'd be mortified if it was anyone but her. She, however, makes the whole thing seem natural, even amusing.

The evening of the second day is when things took a turn for the worse. As we were rowing downriver we were assaulted by drow on a bizarre river craft. It was amazingly fast and clearly magical in nature. I wish I could say we were shocked by the presence of Larkane Drow in the Confederacy, but at this point we have to expect it I guess.

The battle was short and swift, thankfully. It was only after the battle that the real horror occurred. We inspected their craft and discovered it was indeed magical, and powered by a viscous blackish green fuel that radiated pure evil. It was as if they had distilled evil itself into a liquid form and used it to power their magical creations. The entire hellish apparatus that powered the boat, an ugly mass of tubes and vials and gears, was very reminiscent of the nightmare machinery that powered the weather control devices at the spire. It seems that Father and I are not the only ones to discover new sources of magical might. I dont even want to think about the monstrosities Lark must be committing to create such things.

The craft contained a handful of extra vials of its disturbing fuel source. We dispatched Nimbus to bring one to Tristan in Hilltop for examination, sent another to the Church of Thelin in Hilltop, leaving us with a vial and a half for our own inspection.

7th Nartuth, 5a116y,

For years now tales of the magical flying ship The Worthy Venture and its adventurous crew have circulated the confederacy. I had always harbored a certain sadness that their grand adventures had never brought them and their miracle ship to Hilltop. Today, however, we got to meet them. It was an experience well worth waiting for.

While camping on the banks of the river and enjoying McGunnroys fantastic fish stew, Nimbus began whistling a warning. He circled a shrubbery, turning red and angrily buzzing the top of the plant. None of us understood his behavior until the shrubbery spoke, saying "Umm, well this is awkward." Nimbus had discovered a thief among us.

The shrubbery turned out to be none other than Setzer Amaruso, one of the legendary crew of The Worthy Venture, infamous for his roguish nature. The excitement of meeting him was somewhat tempered by the fact that he was in the process of stealing the vile fuel from the Larkane rivercraft. He gave the vial back, though if even a quarter of his reputation of real I'm not sure we could have forced him too. He told us he was trying to procure a sample for a friend of his and then asked if we'd like to meet him. Before we could answer a massive shadow moved over us. It was The Worthy Venture itself, gliding through the sky and blocking out the setting sun. The flying ship stopped above us, floating serenely in place, a marvel of arcane craftmanship and design. A tiny figure leaned over the railing, waving vigorously, and then to my shock simply jumped off the boat. Just before hitting the ground his fall slowed dramatically and he settled safely to the ground. He was short enough to make a McGunnroy seem tall, and wore an admiral's coat and tri-corn hat. His face beamed with an earnest innocence as he strode forward thrusting his tiny hand out and proudly proclaiming himself to be Captain Gimble Cloudromper Gnosby.

The rest of the evening was a magical event for me. We spent a couple hour trading tales with these two walking legends. Captain Gimble was irrepressibly jubilant yet always respectful. Setzer was unapologetic in both his informality with our station and his overt interest in Liira, but friendly and open. My observation of the two of them showed they have the same easy dependable friendship I feel has developed between myself and my companions. In the end, we gave Captain Gimble our last full vial of Larks vile fuel for his research, leaving us with only a half vial. Hopefully an arcanist of his intellect and skill will be able to help us figure out exactly what it is and how they make it.

Watching The Worthy Venture sail away into the clouds I felt a genuine hope for our future. With heroes like them walking among us, we will surely be able to weather Liira's Coming Storm and rebuild our world.

[Sardinal]

13th of Nartuth, 5a116y,

We made it to Greyhurst yesterday afternoon. The rest of our trip downriver was peaceful and scenic, our encounter with The Worthy Venture having given us a lasting sense of wonder and hope. Greyhurst is not large, but the town around Keep Greyhurst is friendly and a great deal of river trade passes through it.

We decided, after a bit of deliberation, to make ourselves known to Lord Marburry, Baron of Greyhurst, in the hopes that he could assist us in procuring the river craft we'll need for the caravan at Vallea. The Baron was both surprised and pleased for the chance to host royalty of both Hilltop and Hearthome. We were treated to a private feast with him and his family, after which we retired to one of his dens for drinks. He broke out a case of wine which he said he had been saving for a grand occasion and we enjoyed some while telling him some of the tale of our journey and the current state of the confederacy. The wine was delicious. Treacherously delicious, it turns out.

Much of the night after we opened that first bottle is a blur to us. One glass was enough to knock father and Liira into an ecstatic stupor, knock me out completely, and overwhelm McGunnroy's dwarven constitution sending him drunkenly roaming around the keep, partially naked and completely cantankerous. One glass.

In the morning, not understanding how such a thing was possible, we examined the rest of the case. To our shock, we discovered the the wine was a holy sacrament of the Cyianite faith produced deep within the Kingdom of Doth'Dakar in the empire. After some alchemical examination we also discovered it was laced with a potent drug. A drug that would not only boost the inebriating effects of the wine, but also make it highly addictive. At that point Liira began making connection between this wine and numerous instances of young noble youth becoming heavy drinkers and lushes, destroying their lives and their families reputations and fortunes in the process. It appears that the empire is not content with just its military conquest. It is also trying to weaken and corrupt us with the very wine we drink.

We sent several bottles to Tristan, The Church of Hilltop, and Vasspacian for examination and destroyed the rest of the Barons stock. Liira, as always, has begun forging songs and parables of the dangers of this wine to spread throughout the countryside as we travel. Her mind is a marvel.

After the wine incident, the Baron was only to happy to help us with procuring barges and river ships for the caravan. He even offered to help pay for it, which was very generous. Once we had arranged for all the ships we needed, we contacted Captain Einhart. In deliberation with him and the leaders of the caravan's factions, it was decided that they were now in a position to move forward without our direct assistance. The trip downriver to Bluehurst should be relatively easy for them. That, finally, frees us up to pursue our next objective. From here we head south on the river to Misreas. We must find the missing children of House Eventide and decide how best to help stabilize the country.

I never thought I would be in the position to directly influence the royal succession of one of the other kingdoms of the Confederacy. Once we get there, however, that is exactly what we will be doing. We will have to decide which contender to throw our influence behind, the militant interim steward Lord Laudazil, the mysterious Count Drunmoor, or perhaps the children of disgraced House Eventide.