The Diary of Soon

The Beginnings, in Brackenvale

My Master, Mazapan the Sage, is dead. He was wise, but alas he was also over bold, and his boldness was his undoing. When we were attacked without warning by Stirges, he fell before he could use his magics to shield himself, and despite my dislodging one of the foul creatures fastened to his neck, the second proved fatal. His companions fled, and Gord and I were left no choice but to flee with them, bearing our master’s corpse with us.

No sooner had we reached  safety than the odious Lentule Fusc started making demands upon Mazapan’s effects. He seemed almost jubilant at the prospect of gaining access to Mazapan’s spellbook, so much so that I begin to suspect he may have had knowledge of the Stirges presence, and lead my Master to his doom.

I must consent to sharing Mazapan’s teachings with him, lest he take to plotting to murder me as well! He was quick also to seize all the wealth he and Mazapan shared as his own. I must devise some new sorcery to keep my belongings safe.

Nonetheless, once I revealed my power, they and Jennet consented to my taking my Master’s place, and as well they did, for they had little idea as to how to proceed.

Lentule and Tamrik consented to my plan of smoking out the devilbats with poor grace, and made much mockery of my labours even after they proved most effective, with our dispatching some dozen of the creatures with no risk to ourselves.. Lentule mocks my patient approach and insinuates cowardice, and yet he is ever casting one eye to his line of retreat himself, it is a wonder he does not strain his neck.

Jennet at least seems level headed enough, and not shy of action, as is only proper for one fittingly trained.

My prudence and caution served us well in the encounters that followed, as did my Sorceries. As I dwell upon my Masters fate, it seems to me that by trusting to Martial exercise over much he was slow to use his powers when necessary. I shall make no such error. The Enchantment of the Steadfast shield shall be constantly in my mind, and I shall leave the business of mere bladework and butchery to those most suited to it.

I shall persuade the company to move on to some less Barbarous place, Perhaps Fosnak, the City of my Master’s birth, where I can access the knowledge I need.

In the City of Fosnak.

My studies have been successful. My Secure Sigill is now set upon my belongings, and I have less to fear from Lentule’s plots.

Tamrik asked me to advise him in some petty task of recovering some noble wastrel from his troubles. I agreed to bend my mystic arts to the purpose, on the proviso that we took the newly arrived Lentille with us, as Lentule Fusc is still in the depths of his debauch.

Rather than rush off witlessly, my careful researches at the family of Parhest Metarn led us directly to the correct part of the beggars city, where despite Tamrik's best efforts to incite the beggars to riot against us, I persuaded them to lead us to the Tower of the Sun.

My Careful strategies for assaulting the entrance worked well, and we should have been unscathed had the shieldmen done their job properly. As it was two of the poor men paid with their lives. Why can they not listen to clear instructions?

Nonetheless, my Enchantment of Somnolence cleared the way for the swordsmen to do their work, and we exterminated the rat-creatures living in the ground floor. I managed to rescue some ancient texts, though Tamrik did his level best to set them and the rest of the tower alight. He refused my counsel, which Lentille thought good, that we should pursue the Rat-creatures that had fled upwards, content in himself that the one enchanted arrow he had cut from the corpse of his follower was the only one we should need, and disdaining to venture after any others that the rat Chieftain might have. We retired to the city proper, and returned the next day to clear the entry at our leisure, free from fear of assault.

The Tower is full of curious vistas and wonders, but my mundane companions chafe at any delay, so we forge on exploring with little time for investigation. Lizard Creatures Guard the third floor, and prove to be too fierce for My Companions blades, forcing me to once more expend my energies in rendering them Helpless. The Lizardfolk may fetch a fine price in the Gladiator Pits. We freed a strange captive claiming to be an elf, Who demonstrated some small tricks of legerdemain and who may be worth discussing magics with.  A woman was there too, the sister of the Nobleman we seek. We shall see if the family offers any reward for her.

Above is a dark place, with a walking shadow. As my powers were spent due to my having to save my fellows earlier, we retired to the city once more.

On our return, we slew the Shadow, Tamrik holding it off whilst I blasted it with Mazapan's MageBolt, so Tamrik could deliver the Coup-de Grace.

We  took a Dead Elf Lord from a Bier, but were forced to leave as our followers were unable to hold of the return of the Lizard folk from their Jungle Window. Tamrik's folly in his cheerful hurling of incendiaries was finally made evident, as he managed to shower us all in Burning Oil, and Poor Sung-Hua was burnt to death. He displayed no remorse! Nor any open sign of regret at having slain one of my own men! Intolerable.

The further mysteries of the Tower of the Sun must needs wait till I have some more Rational companions, or at least can dissuade Tamrik from his Incendiary tendencies. I should never have thought I should miss Lentule Fusk’s company.. Lentille at least is stalwart in the face of Adversity, I cannot fault her bravery or Fortitude.

The Blessed Black Jewel I will keep for myself, so as I may study its magics further. I suspect it is no simple tool to be given to warriors for their ego’s sake.

The Cypil Coast

I engaged two more fellows into my service, Nurad, a black corsair, and Karram, another of Elphain’s nation.  Hopefully travelling apart from Tamrik, they may fare better than Madock and Sung-Hua.

Word reached me of a great bounty offered by Prince Xeil of Hessillion. He seeks a lost Island of his youth, and all manner of Charlatans have descended upon him in the hopes of securing the bounty. I set out for the Cypril Coast, having enjoined Lentille and Lentule to accompany me. Lentule was keen in any case, as his brazen fleecing of the gulls of Fosnak have made that city uncomfortable for him.. His skill at deceptions may be of use in debunking the frauds we will find in Hessillion, if he can refrain from getting himself mewed up for theft or cozenage in the mean time.

On the road, we came at close of day upon an encampment, and were persuaded to stop to hear a plea from a Priest. A Haughty fellow By the name of Cilitas or somesuch, he brazenly propositioned that we undertake to murder one other of his faction, currently engaged some ritual of demonic divination on an isle off the coast. His manner almost cost him his life, offensive as it was. We accepted in part that we should investigate the Isle, After having coerced the priest into expending his magics on Lentille, giving her the gift of waterwalking.

Setting out in boats, after expelling two slave girls from them which the Priest wished to bring along, we made the island in short order. His desire to bring the Slave girls along raised our suspicions further, and we left him with his servant at the boats as we entered the Temple of the Drowned God.

Lentule scouted ahead with his men , but blundered into an ambush. He escaped only by use of the Enchantment of Somnolence I had taught him, and then made much of the paltry scrapes he had suffered importuning me to use my Magics to heal him. He had already benefited from a healing draught, and I saw no need to waste my energies at this stage.

Exploration lead us through the temple until our way was blocked by an obscene cilia lined chamber, like some inverted sea urchin, which would draw all matter crossing in into a stony mouth. I first sated it with the Corpses of the slain cultists, whereupon Lentule Fusc in the manner of his homeland, fashioned stilts from a pair of Spears and walked around the edge, while the tiny tentacles grasped the spearblades in vain. I directed Gord in the construction of a simple rope walkway and so rendered the vile threat harmless.

A vast inner Sanctum held the promised Sorceror Priest in mid Incantation, A chained Sacrifice, and a score of Cultists. I secured my person with a Scroll of the Steadfast Shield, and did likewise for Lentule, to bolster his courage.

Our men filed in into cover, and I rendered the bulk of the cultists insensible by my magics. At this signal my archers filled the Summoner with shafts, against which he had failed to protect himself, and he paid with that error with his life. Nurad and Karan acquitted themselves well in the mopping up, as did Elphain and Gord.

I gathered the accoutrements of the Sorceror, as my own wards and charms were more than a match for what curses and protections he had laid upon them. Lentule of course rushed straight to set the chained captive free, He as much a prisoner to his lusts as she to her chains..

The Priest Celtas at his point boldly stalked into torchlight, commanding us to step forward and stand before him. No Fools we, We cut off his gestures and Exclamations with bold rejoinders, delivered on the tips of our darts and arrows. So much for his treachery. Wary of leaving the bodies of two Sea priests in a soon to be submerged temple, I first sundered their heads from their necks, consigned their bodies to the Urchin room, then cast their heads into the sea to make any post-mortem peregrinations more problematic.

On return to the land, The shiftless rabble of Keltos’ cultists fled in terror at the news of his demise.  We took possession of the camp, and so it was as Lentule consoled the freed captive and Lentille chased after the fair Falwyn, I was able to investigate the treasures in peace.

The plaques are magical, but their nature unknown. The Script yielded to the Meditation of Babel, but the meaning is opaque, and will require much further research.

Hessillion

A pleasant enough City and one with a sensible attitude to Civic law & order. They Disarm all who enter and allow no armour. I took lodging in the Leaping fish Inn and passed time in study amongst the many libraries. My Idyll was disrupted when Genet and Tamrik chose to embroil themselves in a squabble with some Picts. Willful barbarous intemperate vengeful creatures. Despite Tamrik’s attempts to burn down the inn with oil bombs, the wild-men were dispersed with no loss.

My researches bore strange fruit. I had attracted the attention of a Prince Xandrik, who had mistaken me for Althume Polk, that same sorceror who’s trail I crossed in the Tower of the Sun. While disabusing the pleasant prince of his error, An odd fellow stepped forth, claiming to be Marloc the Obscure and reiterated the claims. While all about were gaping at these ludicrous assertions, none seemed to grasp the obvious, that this creature was some form of Shapeshifter, and their astonishment at my denunciation of it as such was as comical as its near fatal attack upon Tamrik was tragic. The creature’s efforts to evade capture and identification were risible, and no match for my wit. I took the opportunity to test upon it the efficacy of a number of magics, and learned much of the nature of Dopplegangers, for such it proved to be.

Prince Xandrik was in great desire to acquire a map in Althume Polk’s possession, In order to deny it to a Prince Ythrien. After satisfying himself that I did not already possess the map, He engaged me to recover it from Polk.  The Prince offered us his protection, and it proved sufficient to guard us from the further vengeance of the vexatious Picti.

The recovery proved a simple enough task. Tamrik’s rough charm proved sufficient to loosen tongues in the city sufficient to disclose the location of a bath house where Althume Polk’s associates are habitually to be found, and simple negotiation proved sufficient to Satisfy Prince Xandrik’s Desires.

The Prince Ythrien Called upon the bath house too, at much the same time. He was courteous enough to accord me the respect due to a fellow sorceror, and let it be known that he should be satisfied with a copy of the Map in question, could one be Acquired. Despite his trivial offer of renumeration, and frankly insulting offer of employment in the acquisition of a Tome of Great power, I maintained a civil countenance, and Ythrien and I parted on neutral terms.