9th Arcane Initiation (Frances' Tale).

'Bestow Curse', a 4th Circle Witchery.

((weak in combat, intended to use as an roleplaying spell)).


Went throught 9th Arcane Initiation, acquired new spells, lost some spells.

i am able now to enchant magic items efficiently as well.

A power of Shelgarn's Blade's summoning did leave, but got Magic Missle spell in it's place. Also thaught myself Bull Strength, Dispel Magic and Bestow Curse spells.

Bull Strength spell will prove useful for more efficient bowshooting, for higher carrying capacity and for melee combat mosly.

Dispel Magic is useful in many situations - for breaking through arcane wards, for closing arcane portals, for counterspelling, for stripping enemies of enhancement spells.

Bestow Curse is a spell that every witch should know. While weak in the direct lethal combat, it can be useful nevertheless.


i've used up recently many potions, but acquired some gold & equipment as well.

Most useful are Gauntlets of Ogre's Power, Potions of Liquid Shadow & a Ring with name 'Victor'.

Rest can be useful, but i'll keep them mostly for sale.

-- Frances Darkhaven, a Witch & an Adventuress of Oscuran Noble Origin.




Gauntlets of Ogre's Power.




Potions of Liquid Shadow.




'Victor' Ring.

Hourglass (Frances' Tale).

Meet.


Rumours reached me that Atel Vai'sini, a hin bardess is being hunted by extraplanar beings.

Rumours said it's connected to a powerful magical artifact somehow.

i went to Norwick & Maria's Tower, where party gathered - either to help Atel or to participate in an adventure.

We struck a deal with a powerful mage, Abernathy the Banished - he would help Atel complete the Hourglass Artifact and get rid of extraplanar creatures if he gets Hourglass after Atel plays with it to corrects herself in the 'Timeline'.

Apparently she was hunted by Quarut, a powerful construct from the 'Mechanus' Plane, a construct capable of manipulating time & casting the 'Wish' spell. Apparently Atel did break some 'Laws of Time', that's why Quarut sought her.

Quarut's mechanical clockwork bird servitors circled around us, spied ... and informed their boss who tried to breach into Maria's tower.

An Empty Hourglass, to be filled with 'Sands of Time' was in hand of Abernathy's Rival, mage & half-fire-elemental Kyith.

Following Abernathy's advice we teleported to the ogre-infested moutain area just after Quarut brought arcane wards down, fought few frantic battles then reached the Temple of the Flame.

It was hot there, and it was only a beginning.

We proceeded down the lava-adorned corridors, disabled traps, fought elementals, lesser demons & undead ... then most of us entered the 'treasure room' that was a trap.

Struggling against time, as lava kept rising in room to engulf locked within - we kept working on the lock from both sides. My knock scroll failed, but lock was picked using roguish means instead. They escaped, lava was contained in a room.

Going little further we found a door protected by strong traps - and as it would soon unfold - by an 'Alarm' spell.

With alarm spell triggered, Kyith's one of simulacrums appeared started to deal with us, tried 'Geas' spell on Atel ... then we defeated it ... twice.

In library behind alarm, we found some books & scrolls ... as well as a stone that was a key to portal where we hoped the Empty Hourglass is.

Portal took us to the Pocket Plane of Earth & Magma, where hot air burnt, toxic wapors endangered lungs, where strong gravity & puzzles blocked way & where a Juvenile Red Dragon slept.

Magicks protected us, we proceeded ... unlocking runestone gateways with cold spells, sneaking past dragon as Atel sang a Lullaby-song for a dragon.

Then we entered a chamber with the Empty Hourglass, Treasure & Traps. We dispelled trap's triggers, recovered all that was possible then quit the Pocket Plane via a Runic Gateway.

Leaving temple, we teleported back to Peltarch.

My part of the treasure was a Magical Cloak, Firewall Crystals, Scrolls, Gems and few of items for sale.

Cloak will prove useful, i've adjusted it's looks in Violetta's Vanity Plates shop in Peltarch.

Rest of items are for sale, so far got over 5,000 gold pieces for these.

-- Frances Darkhaven, Noble Flame, an Adventuress & a Witch.




a Deal.




Quarut.




Temple.




Combat.




Simulacrum.




Library.




Wyrm.




Hourglass.




Cape of the Blaze.




Flame's Essence Crystals.

Raven's Call.

Dear Journal,

Recently heard a Raven's Call, as if she was warning me of incoming troubles.

Soon after did a divination, used my Silver Chalice filled with water & arcane magick.

As the mist rose from goblet, vision appeared.

There was someone who perceived my spirituality & arcane arts a possible threat to their goals.

In my mind insights appeared, and i've overheard that he or she is planning to hire less trained people without special equipment, but in considerable numbers. He or she wanted rangers, rogues and mages mostly, to set up an ambush for me if i pose too much of risk in a future.

i've considered this for a while, i stay mostly in Peltarch where guards are numerous.

They considered:
- an ambush on the road, as i travel,
- attack on a riverboat or in Norwick near boat landing,
- attack while i sleep at inn,
- bribing Oscuran leaders to set up ambush or 'trial' there,
- animal spies to observe when i leave city.

For travels, i rarely leave alone - when i do, i choose my company wisely - or travel on a boat.

i should use invisibility when i travel alone, taking advantage of my equipment that allows to move quietly - as well as choosing less travelled pathways, passing through less dense woods & uncommon roads - so they can't know which way i'll use.

i should be wary of animals - especially birds - that follow or spy on me.

In the City of Peltarch i am fairly safe, but i should sleep in Cerulean Knights' barracks.

Using ships i should not be seen openly, we should travel away from a spell-ranges reaching from dry lands.

Bribing Oscuran leaders or hiring competent adventurers is very costly, requires effort - i am not too big threat for now to afford that for them.

Considered moving quickly on a horse, but i can be spotted by animal spies, then traps can be laid on road - it's safer to travel invisibly.

i should be wary of staying at inns, it's easiest to setup ambush there it seems.

i should be alert & cautious as well.

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

Death's Gate (Frances' Tale).

... It was been a while since i was so close to the Land of Mists, to the Fugue Plane - where dead mortals pay a visit before passing to the Outer Planes of their gods.

There are ways to return from Fugue to the Prime Material, but often there's no desire to go back.

In a good mood i've entered kobold swamps, with a little problems ventured deeper into east.

Fought few of Kobolds, then Lizardmen.

Bad weather distracted me, i didn't notice dispel magic spells that they cast upon me to abolish my arcane defenses ... then two of melee-armed Lizardmen charged me, one after other.

i defeated one but was too wounded to face second.

Dangerously wounded tried to escape, but they run too fast ... and pain from wounds was too great.

My blood flowing i went down, feeling no strength to stand up and continue fleeing.

Lizardman seemed happy with his kill, as i appeared to be dead. He wandered about, distracted - perhaps looking for more of adventurers to slay or flee from.

'Frances, get up ... get up Frances ... ' - i kept repeating to myself, blood flowing from my open wounds & lips.

Trying to not catch Lizard's attention, i put bandages on my wounded leg, almost passing out from pain ... wound seemed stabilized, i managed to drink one 'Cure Serious Wounds' potion, grabbing it from my leather belt.

Pushed myself up, white mist mixing with swamp lights & sights as i fled, pulsing in ears, blood flowing from mouth ... i managed to escape deeper swamps.

Don't know why Lizardman didn't pursue, didn't care to bother or look back.

In Peltarch's Temple of Selűne, in infirmary they took care of me ... good food & rest allowed me to recover & write this in journal.

Thanks to curative powers of potion i drank, there will be no ugly scar - one of infirmary attendants told me smiling.

Potions are expensive, but these save lives ... and are meant to be drank when someone's wounded - otherwise would be only a weight in inventory.

Praising Siamorphe and Kossuth, i'll be leaving infirmary and continue my rest at inn.

-- Frances, an Adventuress of Darkhavens' noble origin.

A Four of Enchantments Planned (Frances' Tale).

i've planned for four items to be enchanted in a future.

1. Black Cloak (Spell Resistance: 16).
2. Archery Gloves (Dexterity +1, Concentration +4, Discipline +4).
3. Archery Belt (Dexterity +1, Concentration +4, Discipline +4).
4. Soldier's Boots of Dodging (+2 Dodge Armor Class, Discipline +3, Weight Reduction: 80% of original weight).

Of these items, only Black Cloak can be enchanted with 8th Arcane Initiation that i already have completed; Remaining three items will have to wait for my 9th Arcane Initiation.

Regarding boots, i need to use Dwarven Flat-Bottomed boots as a component so all of properties can be imparted; i have one pair, perhaps more can be bought if enchantment fails.

It's a lot of gold coin to enchant all of these, a lot of lifeforce spent as well.

-- Frances Darkhaven, an Adventuress & a Witch.

Escorting Caravan (Frances' Tale).

Brief.


After buying spell crystals my funds were quite low.

i've been fighting to gather more coins - and recovered some from hands of Kuo Toa and Kobolds; sold some coal to a crafter Gnarl Horst as well.

Then an opportunity arrived, there was a caravan to be escorted for the House Hemway of Peltarch. We were hired by Lady Hemway with her attendant Alfred - whom curiously she did call every time with different name.

We sought information how to reach our randezvous site, Regal's Fjord, and were advised by a horse seller to use ship; but the trip by water was not so uneventful.

It was a hard fight against pirates, then lot of work by pumps to keep our damaged ship afloat - but we recovered their plunder coins after most of pirates were defeated; it was about 1000 gp for each of us. It was Umberlee-serving pirate casters with spells of bladewall & firestorm that damaged our ship.

At fjord we were approached by Aurilite cultists, who offered us 'Enlightenment' if we undressed from our warm cloaks and felt evil godess of colds' - Auril's - 'kiss on the skin'. i didn't agree, for it was not a way to reach enlightenment - only to get cold & sick instead.

Leeroy - a leader of our caravan - had troubles with a cart wheel, but after it was fixed we could leave.

We rode on the carts pulled by the horses, it was fast and safe until caravan broke.

We had such breaks three times in dangerous areas, we fought wolves, trolls and orcs while Leeroy kept repairing caravan.

Orcs were toughest and most numerous of waves of encountered enemies, our horses were attacked - until Isolde had invisibility spell cast on horses and Leeroy.

After defeating orcs our journey continued, with only two horses remaining alive to pull caravan's wagons.

When we were mostly spent out of spells, our caravan broke again at Peltarch's gates.

We were debriefed, paid and party split.

Now i used up a few of potions, but coin-wise - have over six thousand in my purses.

-- Frances, an Adventuress and an Archer - Witch.




Tip.




Ship.




Pirates.




Fjord.




Wolves.


   

Trolls.


   

Orcs.




Back in Peltarch.




Lady Hemway.