A Seashell.

Mermaid, a being.

Dear Journal,

We did meet a real mermaid, a being with sea-tail, in Peltarch Commons.

She needed to travel land and had a spell to grow two legs ... that fails when water or rain splashes on her.

She was speaking in Aquan, but two of adventurers knew this language & translated.

We agreed to be sent into the Plane of Earth to find Essence of Earth, that she will use in amulet creation ... so she can walk the land without legs turning into the tail too early.

We were given a map - a seashell that emited a sound when put to ear, the lower, the closer to our goal.

We spent some time searching forth & back, then went to Oscura, Kuo-Toa Caverns, Underdark ... on one of the isles there was a portal ... we reached it via magical bridge of Elvadriel's Making ... it was the 'Wall of Stone' spell cast on a side.

We ended in a place between planes ... filled with Earth Elementals & Magma-heat. There was the puzzle of step-plates & portals as the heat made us drink potions to recover from wounds.

We faced many monsters & dragons coming from puzzle's portals, one of us died.

Then we've reached the Elemental Plane of Earth - gravity was crushing in this place ... could not escape earth mephits, but Shesarai did shoot one with her bow, despite all of the difficulty. This saved my life.

Finally we've found the essence, then embarked on a long but fairly uneventful trip back.

Mermaid found us, tested her new amulet ... then rewarded with something precious & a few of potions.

... tired, i did go to an inn to sleep after that.

-- Yours, Chea Allin, a Witch, an Adventuress & a Seeker of Enlightened Energies.




Briefing.




... Trip's Beginnings.




Oscura's Hellsmouth.




A Seashell - Map.




Kuo-Toa.




Underdark.




Bridge.




An Isle - Rift.




Other - Side.




Elementals.




Guardian.




Rainbow - Lights, Puzzle.




Portal's Summon - Attack.




Adult Red Dragon.



Fighting Dragon.




Dragon Slain.




Casaulty.




Essence.




... Peltarch again.




Mermaid's Return.




Robe.




... Tired.

Scrying Chirade.

Gathering.


Dear Journal,

Shar & her minions are very cruel beings,

... but first things first, i'll start from beginning.

Dear Journal,

i was standing in the Commons of Peltarch, when adventurers appeared, one of them wounded.

she was healed, but they wanted to speak in 'warded place'. as a Cerulean Knight i've followed them to the upper floors of Peltarch's Temple of the Triad where wards prevented scrying in most cases.

they have talked about Mad-Elf, Chirade who was trying to lure people with a gift & invitation, then capture them to some place.

Chirade withheld information & played his guests against each other ... so they gathered together for a common cause & information sharing.

... a village of 'Harrovgrove' was mentioned, perhaps people there knew something about Chirade & a book of a particular interrest related.

the book was stolen from Oghma, Godess of Knowledge.

then Elvadriel cast a spell on a silver mirror produced by Isolde Garibaldi, one of us.

it was 'Greater Scrying', our minds were protected with Elvadriel's 'Mind Blank'.

a vision engulfed us ... a sinister & arty vison of Cloaked, Hooded & Masked dark figure, Chirade himself.

he was standing in midst of a strange machine, with Shar's symbols on it.

hundreds of cylinders were connected, Chirade overseen tortures administered to the victims in the cylinders.

... was he torturing them to fuel his own power with their despair?

... probably yes, and turning them into shadowy-minions.

he sensed our presence but due to arcane mind-protections of 'Mind Blank' & Temple's Protective Wards, hopefully could not notice details.

we've watched him rejoicing his 'show' & almost-complete victory.

... then i've drank a potion of 'True Seeing', noticing that parts of the place are encoiled with Dark Tendrils of Shar's Plane of Shadow.

both Tendrils & Cylinders were in that other-place.

we guessed he was trying to collapse planes of Prime Material with Shar's Shadow Plane, using Shadow Weaves' spells.

... this would result in shadows walking on prime material, plane where we live ... appearing from many directions.

we've also noticed a book behind his cloak, then we had to return before 'Mind Blank's' protection faded out.

we've returned to our normal vision, shattered mirror & dispelled items - Chirade's gifts - used in scrying, to leave less traces to us.

we've decided to travel to that place using common sense & magic to guide us.

it's somewhere in center of Narfell, probably in the Underdark beneath Jiyyd plains past the dangerous Spider Caves.

our goal is to prevent this Rite from completion, to kill Chirade & destroy the machine as well.

we need to prepare first, then travel as soon as possible.

we'll leave in a few days.

-- Yours, Chea Allin, a Witch, a Seeker of Enlightened Energies, a Selűnite & Mystran, a Cerulean Star 2nd.




Scrying.




Evil - Delight.




Performance of the Art & Pain.

In Shar's Evil Name.




Dispelling Traces.




Summary.

Redwood & Cherry.

Equipment, a part.

Dear Journal,

... as i planned, i bought a lighter crossbow, from an elf - Alvaniel.

for now it's only well-made cherry, but once she has redwood - i am first on the list.

as a part of a deal, she will buy-back cherry crossbow as she will sell me redwood one.

... she also added some cherry-bolts tipped with steel, including a quiver of sixty exceptionally well made.

it's not only special bolts i carry, for there are 'fletchette' bolts - useful against evil humans & drow elves mostly.

-- Yours, Chea Allin, Adventuress.

P.S. Crossbow & bolts cost me 1200 gold pieces so far.

P.S.S. ... i carry a crossbow for saving spells when lesser foes are met ... with a 'Flaming Weapon' spells it's a quick work usually.




X-Bow.




Well-Made Bolts.




'Fletchette' Bolts.

Funeral.

Lisa's Funeral.

Dear Journal,

There was one of Peltarch Guards that stood out from the ranks of the rest.

Her name was Lisa Braithwaite, 'till recent i saw her patrolling Peltarch's streets despite her old age, wielding her trusty spear.

Today i saw a sarcophagus & entourge before Peltarch's Town Hall ...

... was informed that while she passed away for good, she won't be quickly forgotten.

... i'll meditate for a while & speak proper mantras for Lisa's better rebirth.

-- Yours, Chea Allin, Cerulean Star 2nd & a Seeker of Enlightened Energies.

Chirade, Insane Elf-Mage.

Art-talk.

Dear Journal,

Before i go about details about what happened this evening, i'll write about Chirade, Insane Elven Mage & his victims.

There were traces about the City with letters signed 'C' that invited certain people for a meeting ... 'then they were whisked away using great magical powers'.

There were rumours of Chirade, Insane Elf Arcanist being behind all of this ... it's victims captured & tortured included Elvadriel & Anna Blake.

One of his strongholds was in Rashamen, in a town where everyone seemed 'acting odd ... listless, dejected, delusional' as Anna put. Strange candles enthralled people, victims were held captive by criminals & Mask's priests ... town was freed by Anna Blake, as she cut down all the candles & fought the opposition with Mind-wards present to prevent sanity loss.

At this point Cerulean Star 3rd, named Tristyn, took upon a mission of finding Chirade using his own magical aptitude ... he coordinated search efforts.

Then Tristyn vanished for days as well.

Dear Journal,

This evening i met Isolde, a beautiful bard of Peltarch it seems ... we talked about art's importance.

Art makes people behave & communicate better, makes them join their minds & words across time & space.

As spectator could see a paint hundreds of years before, another in our times can do so as well, feeling the same.

She complimented my new Scrying Chalice as well.

Then we were interrupted by strange 'tear' in space, a hole in air appeared, people escaped through it - chased by shadowy figures with purple eyes ... who tried to grab them back into the rift.

Isolde closed to heal their serious wounds, i helped to carry Elvadriel away from shadows who tried to take her back.

Then we noticed Tristyn ... it seems they recovered him from Demiplane of Shadows where he was held captive & tortured. They said that three other victims bound to the same 'torture contraption' were killed as adventurers tried to figure out a way to set them free.

i've checked Tristyn's pulse ... barely alive.

Then guards appeared & ordered him in Gaol, into a cell ... on Captain Talbot's orders.

Perhaps his mind was twisted as he was tortured, i don't know.

Perhaps will learn more, as investigation proceeds.

Yours, Chea Allin, Cerulean Star 2nd.




'Tear'.




Adventurers & Tristyn.




Captain Talbot.

Shadows of The N'Jast War.

Dear Journal,

A few of people gathered in the Peltarch Commons, including one of the most charismatic, famous, powerful & accomplished Adventurers of Narfell, Raryldor Siamytherelin, Elven Priest of Corellon Larethian.

Talk was nice, i complimented him watching over the cats & other animals ... then young man came asking him of the Narfell's Past.

We went south to Jiyyd, to hear the tale & to see it's results with our own senses.

In short words:

This started with Kara Du'Monte, the former Paladin of Kelemvor who fell from God's grace & became the Vile Blackguard ... She led N'Jast's army to Peltarch, seizing the Jiyyd as army went onwards through that route.

Army proven unstoppable by Narfell's forces ... but then suspicious 'Ally' appeared. 'Cogg', so-called 'Agent of Neutrality' offered a 'Weapon that would End the War'.

Three Heroes of the time: General Grag of the Troff Legion, Kenton Seth - the Spellsword Cerulean Knight Leader & member of the Spellweaver Keep as well as Raryldor himself teleported in midst of the N'Jast Army ... then General Grag hurled the Weapon, 'Black Egg', into the nearby Lake.

'Black Egg' turned to be Powerful Portal Device that opened th Gate to the Lower Planes, attracting many Fiends (Demons) that quickly demolished N'Jast Army, scattered it's remains & sent them fleeing. War with N'Jast threat ended indeed, Peltarch was saved, but at the great price. Now demons of the Lower Planes of Hells threatened to take over Narfell instead.

Adventurers looked for solution to the new Threat, it was Druid Circle who concocted the Spell-Ritual that contained the Outsiders in now-ruined Jiyyd-Battlefield. Resulting Barrier prevents Outsiders from leaving this area still, if i am not wrong.

We explored Jiyyd Ruins, defeating minor Quasit demons on our way, paid a visit to the Ruined Legion Fort, Dwarven Temple as well.

We noted existence of tunnels leading into the underdark inhabited with aggressive fiend-twisted-dwarves & more monsters onward. We didn't take chances with them.

On our way back, however we did hear two beast-yells from east, from where we came. Rushing to check, we noticed two powerful Outsider-Beasts, Devil & Demon, Pit Fiend & Balor. We had a glimpse of the Blood War, the War between Devils & Demons spanning across the many Planes of Existence.

Young man stupidly charged them, then one of Balor's spells killed him quickly on the spot.

Not willing to leave body to twist & rot, Raryldor engaged Balor, defeated him, even if it was Pit Fiend who dealt the killing blow.

Battle lasted for a while, i took a glimpse of that ... while the desperate wounded Demon hunted for my life-energy, trying to dispel invisibility spell i protected myself with.

With Balor defeated, Pit Fiend Fled ... probably because Demons still had upper-hand in this old battle-field.

We recovered the body & went west to Kelemvor's Temple, where Raryldor brought young man back to life & gave him a reprimend for his stupidity as i've averted my eyes to not look at naked dead body of this foolish man.

I've decided to recover & recollect in the Temple, meditating there for a while.

-- Yours, Chea Allin, an Adventuress, a Witch & a Seeker of Enlightened Energies.



Dwarven Temple of Jiyyd.




Tunnel.




A glimpse of the Blood War.




Corpse.




Kelemvor's Temple.




Resurrection.




A Reprimend.