Campaign Log: Chaotic Pioneering

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on November 21st (continued)

Va’lyndra said she thought we should find a cheaper inn. I didn’t see the point. Why couldn’t I enjoy some luxury when I could afford it? I noticed a burn mark on Va’lyndra’s neck, and asked about it. It was a slave brand, and Leopold and Ilzo had similar marks, although they were all fake, given to them by someone on the Seabreeze with wax and makeup.

Leopold, Va’lyndra and Olivia decided to go sightseeing. Toril had already left with Petter, and I was grumpy because Olivia said that Toril didn’t think she’d have time to organize a show today, so Ilzo and Trond decided to play at dice to pass the time.

Desperate for exposure, I went down to the common room and practiced balance on a chair on top of a table. I could have performed in the streets, but I didn’t want to leave in case Toril returned with the news that there would be a show after all. When I took a break, the innkeeper came over and introduced himself. His name was Carl Gustav, and he thought I was exotic. He ventured a guess at my name, and got it right! That cheered me right up. He asked if I would be performing here tonight, and I said yes, of course. Carl Gustav gave me a mug of beer and said I didn’t have to pay for my stay. If I wanted to practice in the common room, he and his staff didn’t mind, no, not at all.

Olivia and Leopold returned a while after I had resumed my practice, and I ordered lunch brought up to my room so I could eat with Olivia as an equal, without getting strange glances. After the meal, the two of us went back down to the common room, and I continued showing off my balancing skills. Va’lyndra carried a bottle of brandy when she returned, vanishing up to the tiny room she shared with Ilzo and Leopold.

When Toril arrived, I leapt down from the table and asked what she had found out. She had a list of locations all over town where I could perform, and had rented two of them, for tomorrow and the day after, both in the western part of Landfall. We discussed whether we should change inns, to somewhere more central, and if there should be one or two shows each night. Two was obviously best, I told her. As for changing inns, I could agree if the standard wasn’t lowered.

We had dinner, and then Olivia, Toril and I headed across town to meet candidates for the jobs of promotor and choreographer. I changed into my sparkly costume, and had Ilzo pull the cart so I could stand on it and advertise. Ilzo guarded the cart while the rest of us went inside an inn to interview candidates; we didn’t want it to get stolen, with all the magic items and weapons hidden in the secret bottom.

I thought all the candidates seemed good, but Olivia and Toril agreed on one person for each job. Nanna would be my choreographer, and Coraline would be my promotor. We brought them back to the Crowded Throng, so they could see my performance there.

Toril spent the time talking to Coraline; Nanna paid more attention to me. After the show, I listed up all the things I could do, most of which weren’t possible in the common room of an inn: Gymnastic rings, trapeze, walking on a rope, tight or not, balancing and contortion (which they had already seen), tumbling, foot archery, being tossed by Ilzo… Coraline admitted that she had been concerned that there were no other performers to bring variation to the show, but with this list, there wouldn’t be a need for them. She had sketched out a poster, and I thought it looked great.

Nanna said she would spend the night coming up with a choreography for the show, and that she wouldn’t get much sleep if she didn’t start straight away. I glanced meaningfully at Olivia. I said good night to the common room, encouraging everyone to come to my show tomorrow, and headed upstairs with Olivia, where we met Va’lyndra. She mentioned seeing some interesting-looking people in purple robes or cloaks, with a lightning bolt or a fireball on the back. If I got the opportunity, she would like it if I tried finding out who they were. I told her I probably wouldn’t have time to seek them out, but if I came across one, maybe I could take a minute to chat with them.


Thoughts on November 22nd

Nanna showed up bright and early to take those of us who would be participating in the show outside the city, where we could rehearse. Olivia, Toril and Petter left to check us in to another inn, closer to the performance venues. Olivia showed up with food at lunch time, and Toril and Petter brought dinner.

The marketplace where I was going to perform was packed with hundreds of people. Leopold’s job was to make sure every prop was in its right place before each routine, and he directed Ilzo to move the larger things. Va’lyndra put on a red dress with a plunging neckline and danced during the intervals. I performed according to Nanna’s instructions, and it was a raging success. Toril regretted not setting up for two shows today or tomorrow.

After the show, Coraline had me sell signatures and handshakes. She also suggested cutting up my costume, a notion I strongly objected to at first, but she promised me new outfits for each show, and said the spectators would pay handsomely for a signed piece of cloth. That made it all right by me, although I told her I wanted to keep my original costume, the one I acquired in Garuk.

We headed over to our new inn, the Merry Minstrel, located in the merchant district, and discussed where Toril should set up venues for us after tomorrow. We decided to stay in the poorer neighborhoods first, and work our way up the social strata towards the center of the city. Perhaps we’d even get an invitation to perform at the palace?


Thoughts on November 23rd

Like yesterday, we spent most of the day rehearsing. Coraline had a new costume for me, with feathers evoking the image of a bird, colorful and elegant. She dressed Va’lyndra up like a cat and Leopold like a raccoon. Ilzo had his bone armor already.

Today’s show was in the merchant district. After the final act, Ilzo, Va’lyndra, Toril and Olivia held up blankets, allowing me to change out of the costume unseen. A murmur went through the crowd when I tossed it over the blanket wall. I was decently dressed, of course, when my assistants removed the blankets. I sat down at a table, signing feathers and cloth pieces, and shaking hands with my fans.

A figure in purple robes approached the table for a signing, and I asked him about his outfit. He said it was a symbol of his profession, but claimed he couldn’t say more, because it was secret. After a little innocent flirting and a peck on the cheek, he was putty in my hands, revealing that he was a Mystic of the Divine Order. I promised not to tell anyone.

The next person in line demanded a peck on the cheek, too, but Coraline came over and told me this was bad for business, so I promised to stop. She had to give away free autographs to the next several people to maintain order.

At the Merry Minstrel, I told Va’lyndra what the Mystic had said. She told me she had heard a rumor about them carrying divine keys, which were thought to bring luck. If I got the chance, she wanted me to search them for these keys, to verify or disprove the rumor. That kind of groping seemed like flirting to me, which Coraline had told me not to do. Va’lyndra didn’t argue with that, but if I saw a purple-robed figure with a flame on the back, I should ask him what his job entailed. The one I had seen today had had a lightning bolt on his back.

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on November 24th

We practiced this morning, too. Coraline had new outfits for us. When Olivia brought food, she was accompanied by two strangers, a man and a woman. Va’lyndra and I went to meet them. I asked Olivia if she had found some new friends, but she answered that they had asked for Va’lyndra, so she brought them here. She walked on to prepare the food. I looked at Va’lyndra and asked what trouble she had gotten herself into, but she explained that these were old friends of hers. I drew a relieved breath and ran after Olivia. After a while, Va’lyndra came and fetched Ilzo and Leopold, and I could hear she upbraided Leopold for something, then the three of them went to talk to her friends.

Tonight, we had two shows, in a working-class residential area in the southern part of town. The shows went off without a hitch, but I was noticeably tired when Olivia finally could put me to bed. When Olivia undressed and joined me, I discovered I had a last reserve of energy, enough to perform one more time.


Thoughts on November 25th

I continued polishing my routines, but the others went for a stroll around town, having already mastered their not so complex tasks. After a while, Coraline suggested that I show myself around the city, perhaps tumbling on top of the cart while Ilzo pulled it. She had hired town criers, and there were those posters she had made, but the best publicity would be me giving previews for the shows. As Ilzo was on a sight-seeing tour, I asked Trond to pull the cart instead. This evening’s shows went well, and I felt happier than I’d been in what seemed ages.


Thoughts on November 26th

When I got up this morning, Leopold was kneeling in a corner of the common room staring at the wall. I asked what was so interesting about that wall, and he explained that he had sleepwalked, and someone had put him in a corner to punish him for walking around in the middle of the night. I ordered him to go to bed, thinking that was proper behavior, but Olivia whispered that it was expected of me to punish him further. I sent her upstairs to instruct Va’lyndra to make punishment noises with Leopold.

Va’lyndra told me that she had been thinking about the relic raid for a while, purely as a thought experiment, of course, since the knowledge guild was sending someone else to actually go through with the raid. She had involved Leopold and Ilzo, and to a smaller degree Olivia, but knowing that I was far too busy preparing for my shows, they had decided not to distract me with their musings. However, she had recently learned that the other team had been delayed, and might not arrive before the city was evacuated. Due to the impending invasion, the evacuation might commence as soon as ten days from now. It was up to us to make the necessary plans, and possibly to execute them.

Va’lyndra had learned that the relics were held in a vault on the palace grounds, and had obtained maps from a contact who served as a guard at the palace. This guard was one of the “friends” of hers that I met the day before yesterday; his name was Kalle. Kalle was on vault duty once a week, and would help to whatever degree we required of him, although he wanted to be paid according to the risk he took.

The plan Va’lyndra, Ilzo and Leopold had come up with thus far, involved acquiring a steam cannon, to blast the way through the solid metal cage that protected the room with the relics. Kalle had been able to narrow the correct room down to two possibilities; the common guards were required to turn their backs when someone entered the relic room. He knew how far down the hallway the door was, but not which side of the hallway.

Another possibility they had considered, was to ambush those who escorted the relics during the evacuation. We knew that the Church most likely would be attempting that, to acquire the relics for themselves, and they had thought about ambushing the winners of that ambush, but Va’lyndra and the others thought there were too many variables. For instance, we didn’t know when or where the Church’s ambush would take place, and it might not happen at all.

I thought it would be a much better idea to pick the lock of the relic room. Admittedly, none of our party had the skills required, but it couldn’t be that hard. I proposed to find a locksmith and tell them that I wanted to incorporate an escape routine in my show, and ask them to teach me how to pick locks. Va’lyndra warned me that there might be magic traps on the lock, but I told her Olivia had convinced me to bring a potion of magic resistance, just in case. That would definitely be useful.

I had two shows in the heavy industrial district in the north-west of Landfall in the evening. I was thinking about the heist during the first performance, and while the spectators were enjoying the show as if nothing was going on, Olivia and the others, including the hired crew, certainly noticed how distracted I was.

Olivia took me aside between the two performances, and we had a talk about what troubled me. Seeing that she would need much more time to talk me through it all, Olivia cheated. She plunged her hand down my pants and hit the reset button. Her fingers played my strings, making sweet music to accompany her chant, which she repeated over and over: “You are Mattea Vishi, the world-famous acrobat, and you have a show to perform!” If the show commenced ten minutes after schedule, nobody complained. I had recovered my focus.


Thoughts on November 27th

I went for a walk this morning and found a locksmith. I told him the story I had made up about wanting to have an escape act in my show, and asked if he could teach me lockpicking. I twined him about my little finger, insinuating a lot, but promising nothing. Olivia was going to be proud. Or at least relieved. The locksmith began teaching me, but lockpicking proved to be much more of an intellectual activity than I had presumed, so I zoned out. I stayed for a few hours, but didn’t really learn anything. I said thank you and returned to the inn to pick up Ilzo for a cart-ride around town so I could promote the shows. Tonight’s shows were in the middle-class district south-east in Landfall, not that far away from the Crowded Throng, actually.


Thoughts on November 28th

I let the others know that I wouldn’t be able to learn lockpicking in time for the heist. At least not so I’d be confident enough to break into a high-security vault. I had thought it required dexterous fingers, and Olivia could certainly attest to my abilities in that regard, but yesterday’s teacher had droned on and on about pins and tumblers and how different types of locks had different structures. Maybe another teacher had another angle that suited me better, but for now, I said we had best disregard the possibility of lockpicking.

We had two shows in the merchant’s district this evening. The proximity of our bed in the Merry Minstrel made me suggest to Olivia that we headed over there for a little fun between the shows, but she said we didn’t have time for it. I contented myself with a little tongue wrestling and a promise from Olivia that we could have as much fun as I wanted after the second performance.

Back in our room, I challenged Olivia to tie me to the bed. My new rope was in need of an initiation ceremony, and if it performed well, it deserved a name. I bet Olivia the right to name Mr. Bond’s successor that I’d free myself from her knots in less than one minute, no matter how she tried to distract or hinder me. I must have been distracted already, for if I had thought it through, I knew that this was a bet I couldn’t win. Olivia has the power to turn me into a mindless beast, and no reservations about using it as long as we are private.

When the dust had settled, Olivia snuggled up to me and I put an arm around her. I had managed to get it free before the hunger seized me. My other limbs were still tied to the bedposts, and I let them stay that way in case Olivia wanted to resume our play in the morning. Olivia fingered the rope. “You are a good rope,” she murmured, “and I name you Lady Lovelace. Mattea?” “Hmm?” “Don’t you dare telling anyone that name!”


Thoughts on November 29th

Olivia was already up and about when I woke this morning. I tossed off the blanket she had thoughtfully spread over me and yanked on the ropes that still bound me to get her attention. “Oh, no! I’m all tied up and defenseless! I hope nobody will take advantage of my vulnerability!” She turned around and took in the sight of me, tapping a finger pensively against her lips. “I think this is a trap. I think it is you that will have your way with me, if I but take one step closer. I think I shall remain at this safe distance,” she said, “but oh! There is a speck of dirt on my dress! That will not do!” She slid seductively out of her clothes, then turned and bent over to rummage in her pack. I immediately began working my way out of Lady Lovelace’s hold. “I’m going to find another dress, and put it on,” she continued, wiggling her backside in my direction, “and then I’ll leave and you’ll never … Eep!” I seized her waist and swung her around, onto the bed, and threw myself down on top of her. “Olivia! You’re such a tease, you little minx! You…” “Enough talk, Mattea!” Olivia grabbed my head and pulled my lips down to hers.

The two shows in the evening went delightfully, icing on the cake of an already excellent day.

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on November 30th

Va’lyndra and Toril had bribed an engineer to tell them about the steam cannons. They had also convinced some workers at the armory to help them steal one, and were discussing when they should go through with the theft. Leopold needed a day of experimentation, he said, in order to learn how to use the cannon. We agreed that Toril should acquire a place where he could perform his experiments, in one of the poorer districts of the city, and that Va’lyndra and Ilzo should steal the weapon the night before the heist at the palace vault, to reduce the risk as much as possible that the theft would be discovered in time to implement additional safety measures, if the authorities realized why we wanted the steam cannon. That would give Leopold most of the day to experiment, but he should attend the performances as usual. Having changed the routine just before the heist could be seen as suspicious, if someone started snooping around.

Tonight’s shows were in a middle-class residential district, but tomorrow, we’re setting up in the high district. Admission prices for spectators has increased the closer to the palace we moved the show, and Toril hinted that we might amass a nice sum by the time we pack up and leave.


Thoughts on December 1st

I kept to my daily routines, being the most noticeable among our party. If I started behaving oddly, it would certainly be remarked upon. That’s why I focused on practicing and promoting the shows, and left the preparations for the heist to the others. Va’lyndra still believed that the other team might show up, yet. The purple-robed people Va’lyndra had been curious about earlier turned out to be the owners of the vault room where the relics were kept, a fact about which I was warned in time before the shows. I thought I spotted one in the crowd, but I didn’t seek them out, because that might have drawn unwanted attention to our plans.


Thoughts on December 2nd

Today was the second day of shows in the high district. Ilzo and Va’lyndra went to fetch our steam cannon when the rest of us returned to the Merry Minstrel.


Thoughts on December 3rd

Leopold headed off, bright and early, to begin experimenting with the steam cannon. Va’lyndra was also gone when I got up; she had accompanied him to make sure he didn’t talk to anyone he shouldn’t.

I had to prepare for the final performances this evening, but Olivia reported when I had my lunch break, that Leopold had determined that we needed more ammunition than Ilzo and Va’lyndra had acquired, and that Toril was on it.

While I was signing cut-up costume pieces and shaking hands with my fans, I overheard someone speaking about two city guards who had been discovered in the warehouse district, killed last night. Lucky bastard, I thought of the murderer; he had managed to avoid Ilzo and Va’lyndra when they stole the steam cannon nearby. Ilzo would have ripped him to pieces.

We had already checked out from the inn, so we headed to the cellar that Toril had rented for Leopold’s experiments. Va’lyndra used one of her scrolls to open a portal to the temple of dimensions, far to the south. We sent through Olivia, Toril, Petter, Trond and the woman who had shown up with Kalle that day outside town; her name was Klara. They smiled and waved at us from the other side to let us know they had arrived without trouble, but we couldn’t hear what they were saying. We passed through the things we would need for our long trek back to Urdon, including a mountain of food. While we were sending the personal gear we wouldn’t need for the heist, the portal began shimmering, and finally closed, bouncing back Va’lyndra’s backpack. We spread out its contents among our stronger party members. I had kept my weapons and armor, and my backpack with most of the potions we had brought to Landfall. I hefted my pack, but Va’lyndra said she needed a half-hour’s rest, for the teleportation spell had been taxing.

Ilzo and I carried the steam cannon out to a cart he had acquired for the purpose, and covered the weapon under a blanket. Then we headed north, towards the palace. We circled the palace wall and arrived at the location which was closest to the vault. Leopold listened carefully for sounds on the other side, and when he was satisfied there was no one there, he made a hole in the wall. Va’lyndra hurriedly covered the hole with a blanket and some bushes, and then we sat down in an alley to wait. Both Leopold and Va’lyndra wanted to replenish their energy stores completely before we entered.

We rested for an hour and a half and snuck back to the wall. The guards at the closest gate, a hundred meters up the street, hadn’t noticed anything, nor had the few patrols that had come by while we rested. Va’lyndra pulled the blanket slightly to the side so she could look through the hole. I began quaffing potions to prepare for the assault on the vault. I started with a potion of invulnerability, which hardened my skin, then I took a potion of battle, and immediately felt both braver and more agile. I finished with a potion of speed, to even further boost my mobility. Va’lyndra was going to take a potion of flight, to bring herself and Leopold up on the roof of the vault, where they would disable the alarm bells. Ilzo had already taken a potion of fetching and carrying, so he could carry the insanely heavy steam cannon with ease.

We darted inside, crossing the open area around the museum building, and found the vault on the other side. Va’lyndra carried Leopold silently up on the roof, and returned a few moments later. The elf nodded. It was done.

Kalle had told us that there would be seven guards on duty inside, four in the guard room just inside, and three in the cellar hallway, where the most valuable items were stored. He was on duty tonight, but we didn’t know where he would be positioned. The guards would be wearing mail and helmet, and carry sword and knife. Ilzo could probably take them all on his own, but not without getting a few cuts and bruises. I readied myself.

Leopold opened the door, and I rushed inside, dashing past the guard booth so the others would have space to follow. Turning towards the surprised guards, I saw Ilzo and Va’lyndra enter. Ilzo moved to put down the steam cannon at the top of the cellar stairs, and Va’lyndra held Surkalpi for him. Leopold entered last and closed the door.

[coronatiger]

I stepped forward and fired at the foremost guard. He threw himself down, but I had lined up the shot just in case he did. The guard directly behind him had to drop to the floor, too, and my arrow hit the wall. The soldiers called for the others to sound the alarm, but Kalle drew his sword. I drew another arrow and fired immediately, sending the two guards back down for cover. Ilzo took Surkalpi from Va’lyndra and told the guards calmly to surrender. Leopold moved to the steam cannon, and someone in the cellar shouted that the alarm bells didn’t work.

One of the guards on the floor pulled his sword, but the other began to rise again. Kalle attacked his colleague in the back, and his former friend asked him what he was doing. I sent an arrow his way, and the guard dropped to the floor. They weren’t very brave, but they knew how to dodge arrows, it appeared.

Ilzo ran forward and attacked like a whirlwind, or at least he tried to. He managed to stab one of the guards on the floor, but then he lost his balance. Va’lyndra and Leopold prepared for the guards in the basement. I jumped over the counter into the guard booth, pulled Scorchmark, and swiped at the only guard who was standing up, but of course he dodged. One of the guards on the floor lashed out at me with his sword, but he needn’t have bothered. I evaded the cut easily. Kalle tried to attack the standing guard, but his attack was also dodged. Ilzo made a triple attack against the one who tried to cut me, and I didn’t think even Olivia could save the man after he had been skewered three times with Surkalpi.

Va’lyndra and Leopold were fighting in the staircase, the elf with her staff and the gnome shooting lightning bolts with his wand from atop the steam cannon. Va’lyndra’s hydra skin armor protects her from lightning damage, so Leopold had no qualms unleashing a lightning storm past her down the tight staircase. Leopold warned us that the guards were on their way, so I decided to help. Ilzo finished the last upstairs guard, but not before he had given Kalle a gash across the chest.

Looking past Leopold and the steam cannon, I could see Va’lyndra’s melee. One guard lay on the ground, but he was not out of the fight. The others jabbed at her with their swords, but her flying shield blocked their attempts. One blow got past the shield, but she parried that with her staff. I flew down the stairs and launched myself off one of the last steps, sailing over the astonished guards before twisting around and landing behind them. Pinned between Va’lyndra and me, they dropped like flies.

Leopold gave a healing potion to Kalle and asked Ilzo to carry the steam cannon downstairs. Kalle informed us that it was the first door on the left we wanted; he had been able to spy on the purple-robes to discover which room held the relics. I undertook a quick search of the building in case there were more guards somewhere. I knew there wouldn’t be, for Kalle had said so, but I was so juiced up on adrenaline and magic potions, I was eager for another fight.

Ilzo and I took up position inside the entrance, and Ilzo locked the door and barricaded it with furniture and corpses. None of us thought about the fact that the door opened outwards. Leopold and Va’lyndra fired up the steam cannon. It needed time to build up pressure, Leopold had discovered during his experimentations.

Leopold summoned me to help him aim the cannon. The wall was constructed with metal plates which were held together by bolts, and it was these bolts we needed to shoot at. He said it was important that we didn’t touch the wall while we worked, for Va’lyndra had identified it as magical. Kalle said it should be fine; the guards touched the walls all the time. Everyone except Leopold went upstairs when he was about to fire, in case of a mishap.

The shot made a metallic plonking sound when the projectile hit the wall, and we returned to take a look at the damage. The bolt was shot nearly through the plates, and Leopold said the aim had been slightly off. Moving the weapon to aim it was heavy work, so we had Ilzo come help us with it. Va’lyndra and Kalle could remain upstairs to guard the entrance.

We had to shoot out sixteen bolts, and then a shot in the middle of the wall made it collapse. Va’lyndra could tell us that the entire room was covered in a magic field. Glancing inside, I counted perhaps thirty artifacts resting on shelves and racks.

I reminded the others I had a potion of magic resistance in my backpack for the one who would go inside to fetch the items. We decided that should be Leopold, so I handed him the bottle. Still, we discussed how to go about it for about ten minutes, and then someone knocked on the door upstairs. Va’lyndra opened a portal in the cellar, along the wall opposite the relic room. I had a brief glimpse of Olivia and the others before I reached the stairs.

I had Kalle speak to the people outside, and he bought us a little time before they started attacking the door. A white fog streamed up the stairs, and Va’lyndra called for us to come and help with the carrying. Ilzo and I took deep breaths before plunging into the unknown substance.

Downstairs, Va’lyndra periodically cast a spell to purify the air, but the white fog streamed from metal canisters in the corners of the ceiling in the relic room. I could tell the stream was slowing, though. Kalle called out that they were breaking through, so Ilzo turned on his heel and returned upstairs with an orcish battle cry. Kalle came downstairs and helped the rest of us carry artifacts from the vault room and push them through the portal.

Someone ordered “Move in!” outside, and Ilzo retreated to the top of the cellar stairs, battling two elite guards. Va’lyndra asked Leopold if he had enough energy to close the staircase, and the gnome dashed off to comply. That was good, for just as his wall shot up between Ilzo and the Blackguards, the orc passed out. Va’lyndra and I pulled him down the stairs.

Leopold called out in alarm that someone was trying to wrest control of the wall from him. We had passed all the relics through the portal, so Kalle took Ilzo’s pack and retreated. I picked up my bow from the floor and dragged Ilzo with me. Olivia and Petter had passed out from the apparent sleeping gas, so I drew Scorchmark, ready to defend her life if need be.

Va’lyndra rushed to help Leopold, just as the gnome lost control of the upper half of the wall, allowing the Blackguards to crawl through. One of them attacked Leopold, but Va’lyndra’s shield took the blow. The next attack struck the gnome, but he remained standing, and both he and Va’lyndra managed to stagger through the portal. It had still not begun shimmering, so I had no idea how many more people could pass before it closed. With Ilzo out cold, this could get ugly.

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on December 3rd (continued)

Olivia lay just to the side of the narrow portal. I stood over her body, holding my breath against the white fog that had spread through to the temple. The speed potion I took earlier had expired while we debated how to enter the relic room, but the other two were still in effect. How much my hardened skin would help against the huge swords the Blackguards wielded was in doubt, but my heightened dexterity would certainly come in handy.

Two Blackguards poked their swords through the portal, but they missed Leopold as he reeled backwards, away from them. Va’lyndra summoned an ice dagger. I didn’t want to move away from Olivia, so I just prepared to defend. Both Blackguards, trusting in their thick plate armor, made all-out attacks. One of them tried to stab me, but I dodged easily, as I was ready for it. The other attacked Leopold, but dropped his sword at the gnome’s feet. He came through the portal to get closer to his weapon, and the portal started shimmering slightly. Behind the Blackguards, a voice commanded, “Spread out!”

Uncertain whether I’d be able to penetrate the thick plate, I stabbed Scorchmark through the eye of the foremost opponent, who dropped limply to the floor. His eyeball stuck to my knife as I pulled it back. The second Blackguard tried to come through the portal, but it closed and he was shoved back.

I dropped Scorchmark and grabbed Olivia, tossing her over my shoulder and making for the exit as fast as I could. I didn’t dare breathing in the gas which suffused the temple. Even burdened with a body, I was faster than Va’lyndra and Leopold, who had spent every bit of energy they possessed to cast spells. I put Olivia gently down and removed the eyeball from Scorchmark before sheathing the blade; the magical weapon had followed me outside. I asked Va’lyndra if we dared to leave Petter and Ilzo in the white fog, but none of us knew what effect it had on people, other than striking them unconscious, so I quaffed a potion of fetch and carry, took a deep breath, and darted back inside the temple to retrieve our fallen companions.

I examined Olivia, leaving the other patients to Va’lyndra’s care. My sweetheart seemed only to be sleeping, but I gave her a little mouth-to-mouth, just in case. It didn’t seem to work, for Olivia didn’t react even when I started using my tongue. I would just have to wait it out, so I sat down, lifted her head into my lap and stroked her hair, murmuring soft nonsense.

Leopold asked Va’lyndra why his magic didn’t work; it had always worked before. Va’lyndra explained that he had been too exhausted.

Ilzo woke after a few minutes, a good sign for Olivia and Petter. Va’lyndra asked if I could check on the Blackguard in the temple. I slid carefully out from under Olivia’s head and took another deep breath, before running inside the temple, yet again. I carried the Blackguard outside, thankful for the potion that allowed me to be fast, and let Va’lyndra take care of first aiding him. I returned to Olivia.

Olivia and Petter both took around an hour to wake. I bent down to kiss her, so relieved that she was all right that I didn’t care that the others could see us. I usually take Olivia’s privacy issues into consideration, but not this time.

Ilzo tore the armor off the still unconscious Blackguard, muttering about breaking his arm. Va’lyndra persuaded him not to, and he went inside the temple to fetch his pack, which contained healing potions. I fetched everything else in the fog, including our camping gear and all the relics. I recognized my own god, Solus, in two of the statuettes. That was strange. I had thought only the gods of the old days would be represented, but that was because we only had found these relics in temple ruins before; who knows where Tamburin had found theirs?

Leopold began studying the artifacts, particularly those with inscriptions, like the arrow that looked like it had been shot through a disc. Va’lyndra told him to be careful. I wasn’t very interested in watching Leopold study, so Olivia and I set up our tent and went inside. An hour or so later, we went to sleep.


Thoughts on December 4th

Va’lyndra woke Mattea and me, saying it was our turn at the watch; Petter would keep lookout from a nearby rooftop, while Mattea and I should watch from the camp. I thought it was irresponsible of Mattea to sneak off with me instead of discussing the watch routine last night. I didn’t scold her for it, though. I believed that the hungry light in Mattea’s eyes had been reflected in mine. Our lovemaking had been passionate; Mattea had thought for a while that she had lost me to the white fog, and was hellbent on giving me a treatment I’d never forget, in case she didn’t get another chance. It was memorable, to say the least! Bedding a contortionist is a blessing that every healthy adult should experience. Not MY contortionist, though! I intend to keep Mattea for myself, although I fear her dallying days aren’t over.

Last night, when Va’lyndra had opened the second portal, I had rushed towards it with Petter, Trond, Toril and Klara, ready to help with the relics, but as I approached the portal and entered the fog that billowed out of it, I felt my mind slowing down, and feared that this might be it. Two thoughts flared through my head before I lost consciousness: Mattea was going to go crazy without me, and I wouldn’t get the chance to set straight my lie to her.

Things had been a little hectic after I woke in Mattea’s lap, so we hadn’t gotten a chance to talk privately. I wasn’t going to admit to lying when anyone could overhear, and when we were finally alone in our tent, neither of us were in the mood for talking.

It had been a late night, yesterday, and the sun had long since risen when Mattea and I emerged from our tent. The Blackguard was starting to stir. Someone had had enough foresight to tie him up, but Mattea took a glance at the knots and tsk-ed disdainfully. She quickly unraveled the knots and redid them properly. I would have been proud of her skill had I not known that she had learned it in strangers’ bedrooms.

Ours was the last watch, and Mattea and I sat on a ruined wall, eyes alert, but hands busy. At least until the Blackguard’s eyes opened; then I took Mattea’s questing hands in mine to keep her from embarrassing us. Our friends woke up soon after.

Leopold resumed his studies, but the rest of us set about organizing who should carry what on the long walk north. We let Leopold keep the artifact he was studying, and Va’lyndra put away a couple into her backpack, but Ilzo took the bulk of them. Toril, Petter, Trond, Kalle and Klara would carry the food. Mattea and I only needed to carry our own gear, a considerable amount, since I had prepared for a long trek in winter.

Ilzo approached the Blackguard to break his arm, but Va’lyndra doused him in icy water and stopped him. We decided to spend the day here. Ilzo needed to dry off, and Leopold and Va’lyndra said they were still wearied from last night’s exhaustion, although I suspect they were just too eager to study the artifacts to leave just yet.

Mattea decided to apologize to the Blackguard for taking his eye, saying it was the only way to disable him. The Blackguard sighed and asked if she was going to torture him, but Mattea told him we needed help to carry the loot back home. He was still convinced we were going to kill him, so Mattea fetched healing salve and smeared him with it. The Blackguard asked if he had been arrested by the allied forces, meaning the armies of the nations opposed to Tamburin’s aggression, but Mattea said that the forces he saw here were highly irregular. She explained that he had passed through a portal leading him to the wilderness, far from home. Leaving him here would be cruel, so if he promised to behave, he didn’t have to be tied up during the journey to where we would be going. In fact, she untied him right then and there. I was ready to raise the alarm, but he remained on the ground.

[coronatiger]

After handing the rope back to Va’lyndra, Mattea spotted the stern look in my face and came over to hear what that was about. I tried to tell her that the Blackguard – Mattea said his name was Valuk – was an enemy. He had tried to kill us, for crying out loud! Mattea took my hands and looked up at me. “He never tried to kill you,” she whispered, “and that’s all I care about. Plus, he promised to behave himself.” I tried to convince Mattea that it still wasn’t safe to let him remain free, but she insisted stubbornly that he had promised to be nice, and that he had no hope but to follow us.

I was beginning to fear that I wouldn’t be able to talk Mattea around. This was going to be like the bandit camp all over again. When Mattea and I fled from Duke Leonard’s mansion, we stumbled across an abandoned campsite where we took shelter from the rain. The bandits that lived there returned and captured us, but they somehow managed to convince Mattea that they were hunters, not outlaws, robbers and deserters. To this day, I still can’t change Mattea’s mind about them. All the signs were there for her to see, but sometimes, she can be so blind! The bandits would return with their loot and explain that they had “happened across an abandoned cart loaded with goods”, or refuse us to leave because we might “tell others the location of their secret hunting grounds”. I wasn’t fooled; I saw the villains for what they were. I would have been raped seven times a day if Mattea hadn’t seen my fear and offered herself up willingly, striking a deal with the bandits that they could have as much of her as they desired, as long as they left me alone. That wasn’t going to happen now. If Valuk even looked at me with the slightest hint of lust, I was going to tell Ilzo that he had called Gromsh a sissy.

Later in the day, Leopold tried striking up a conversation with Valuk, but the Tamburiner was just as racist as most of his countrymen and didn’t want to talk to the gnome. Leopold returned to his studies. Ilzo attempted to repair his bone armor, but he didn’t have the necessary materials. Va’lyndra spent the day spelldancing around the relics.

After dinner, Mattea took me aside and complained about everyone’s shunning of Valuk. She was the only one in camp who was willing to talk to him. She thought he behaved himself admirably. I explained, “You don’t see him when you’re not near. He throws insults at anyone who goes near him, although he has enough insight and sense of self-preservation not to offend Ilzo directly. He’s a racist, and …” Mattea interrupted me to ask why the humans we travel with have taken offense with him. I told her they saw him as an enemy, and sympathized with Leopold and Va’lyndra when he affronted them. He also belittled them for associating with … well, I wasn’t taking those words into my mouth.

Mattea said she was going to have words with him, but first, she asked how I felt about him. Did I feel the same as Trond and Toril and the others? I told her I thought the only reason he was nice to her was because he wanted to get inside her pants. That was more than enough reason for me to dislike him, although I made it clear that I didn’t find his personality any more charming than the others did. “But speaking of strangers wanting to get inside your pants,” I said, looking around to ascertain that nobody was near enough to overhear, “you know that I occasionally tell you some things that aren’t completely true, to help you stay faithful to me.” Mattea nodded, “I know. And you know that I prefer not knowing about it, at least not the details, because it makes me feel like I’m failing you. I know you only do what you think is best for us, and I trust you, even if you fib to me once in a while.”

I told Mattea that there was a bigger lie that was gnawing on my conscience, and it had nothing to do with preventing her from sleeping with someone else. Mattea suggested that we discuss it in our tent. She didn’t really think I could get her angry, but if I did, we had better be somewhere we could make up at once. “I’m going to take off my armor. If I do get angry, I want you to nip it in the bud. I want you to nip me in the bud; that should take my mind off it. I don’t want to be angry with you, and I want you to know that you have my permission to make me not angry.”

And so, we returned to our tent. I knelt on the floor, waiting for Mattea to get ready. Mattea didn’t stop at the leather armor, and was completely naked when she sat down, leaning back on her hands with one leg on each side of me, her bud easily within reach. I looked questioningly at her nudity. “We’re going to have sex when we’re finished talking,” she explained, “and whether it’s make-up sex or not isn’t really important.”

I confessed my big lie. “I convinced Va’lyndra it would be wise to tell you that we wouldn’t be doing the heist after all, that we would just be going on tour with your show. That way, you couldn’t blurt out something you shouldn’t.” I tried to look her in the eyes while I confessed, but the shame lowered my eyes. Mattea’s sensuous swaying kept me focused on her breasts, but her response pulled my eyes up, as well as making my jaw drop: “Oh that. I knew that all along!” I had never thought that she could see through my weave of deception; she was more gullible than a child! “Really?!” fell out of my mouth. “No, I had no idea,” Mattea admitted. “How clever of you, Olivia! Perhaps I should feel insulted, but I don’t. I guess I just trust you too much. You know me better than I know myself. Like, how horny do I feel right now?” I studied Mattea’s eyes, her face, then I gave her body a cursory examination. “I see few signs of the hunger,” I reported, “and those two can be explained by the rather chilly air in here. I’d say you’re no more horny than normal, even if you adhere to another standard than most people. Compared to me, for instance, you’re no hornier than a rock.” It took a couple of seconds for my statement to sink in, and even though I clearly saw the change come over her, it came so fast that I didn’t have time to react when she threw herself at me. Not that I wanted to dodge, no, not at all!


Thoughts on December 5th

Leopold suggested that we take the same route out of goblin territory as on our last visit. Va’lyndra had apparently expanded Olivia’s suggestion to include Ilzo and Leopold too, so the gnome hadn’t brought our map. Leopold also asked Ilzo not to charge off if we spotted burgh lions.

Va’lyndra took the lead as usual, looking for traps. The rest of us followed close enough to her to see when she skirted a dangerous spot. Leopold and Ilzo walked in front of the main group and Olivia and I brought up the rear. Valuk walked in the middle, under guard.

When Va’lyndra discovered a poisoned arrow trap, she disarmed it and asked if I wanted the arrow, since I carried the only quiver in the group. The quiver was full, though, since I had replenished it while we repacked yesterday, and the arrow was of poor quality besides, so I declined. We passed a few more traps, and then we walked right into an ambush.

Three large boulders lay a few meters apart, and the path split around the third after passing between the first two. When Va’lyndra reached the fork in the path, goblins popped up around her. There were archers and spearmen on the boulders, and axemen charged along the path. A large goblin, almost as big as Ilzo, came with the axemen. The archers let loose, all on Va’lyndra. Her flying shield blocked two arrows, and she threw herself down, but on arrow struck her groin.

I slipped the saddlebag off my shoulder and dropped my backpack as I interposed myself in front of Olivia. Ilzo and Leopold also dropped their luggage, but Ilzo was more careful, going to his knees to put down his pack of artifacts gently.

The axemen converged on Va’lyndra and attacked. I didn’t see whether any of them hit, but I feared she was done for if we couldn’t get to her and form a battle line, fast. I dropped my bow and asked Olivia to string it, pulled Scorchmark and ran forward. Ilzo had fortunately not much distance to close, and he scuttled forward on his knees and lashed out with Surkalpi, albeit unsuccessfully. Leopold drew his knife. Va’lyndra crawled backwards while summoning a large rain of ice daggers, felling half the archers and one or two melee fighters; everyone but the spearmen and archers had shields, and they lifted them above their heads and hurried out of the deadly hail.

Trond and Petter shrugged off the surprise and dropped their bags of food. Ilzo took an arrow, for he found it too difficult to dodge on his knees. Axe blows rained around him and Va’lyndra. A spearman stabbed down at me from atop the boulder, but he missed. I slashed down one of the axe fighters. Ilzo rammed Surkalpi through one axeman’s shield and into his torso, felling him. Leopold joined the battle line on Va’lyndra’s left side, cutting with his knife. The axeman he targeted interposed his shield successfully; Leopold doesn’t have Ilzo’s strength. Va’lyndra cracked one goblin with her staff, but inflicted minimal damage.

Petter ran up to Leopold and plugged the gap between him and Va’lyndra, for the elf had pulled back, having taken much damage. Trond ran to intercept a goblin coming around the outside of the boulder on the right. The spearman above me attacked again, and this time, he connected, piercing my leather armor. The spear didn’t penetrate deeply, but the pain made me miss the goblin I tried to strike as I stepped in front of Va’lyndra.

[coronatiger]

Three goblins ganged up on Leopold, including the big one. Two goblins attacked Va’lyndra, and one went after Ilzo, but none of them connected. Ilzo missed with his counterattack. Va’lyndra, not on the front line anymore, widened the ice dagger rain slightly. In the back, Olivia called out that she had finished stringing my bow, but I didn’t have time to retrieve it.

Petter kept one of the axemen occupied, but neither combatant managed to injure the other. I lashed out with Scorchmark and scored a deep cut on the large goblin. Ilzo bellowed a battle cry and stabbed him with Surkalpi. The goblin giant fell to the ground. The spearman on the rock attacked Ilzo. His elevated position made it difficult for Ilzo to defend, and he took the spear right in the chest, for he hadn’t repaired his bone armor yet.

The big goblin wasn’t out of it yet, and began stirring. The smaller goblins attacked Petter, Ilzo and Leopold, but none of them managed to hit. I burned the big goblin again with my magical knife. Ilzo turned to the spearman on the rock and took him out. Leopold and Petter skewered an axeman each.

The large goblin on the ground grabbed his sword. I made two rapid attacks. My first blow felled one of the goblins that was swarming Ilzo, and had stupidly turned his back to me. My second attack went after the giant, but I missed. Va’lyndra quaffed a healing potion, while Kalle, Petter and Trond forced their respective opponents backwards. Kalle had been so surprised by the ambush, he was only now joining the fray.

A goblin arrow flew in my direction, but I leaned out of its path. An axeman also tried to hit me, but he missed. The giant goblin tried a last-ditch all-out attack against me, but I dodged his sword and counterattacked. Two rapid cuts stunned him enough to make him drop the sword again, but his eyes still glowed with hatred.

Ilzo stabbed at my axeman, but he missed. Kalle cut his own arm; luckily he wore mail, which the sword didn’t penetrate. Two goblins, an archer and a spearman, tried to flee to the left, but I jumped up on the archer’s boulder, rolled to a stand and pursued them. Ilzo finished the remaining axeman as well as the big goblin. Trond climbed up on the boulder on the right side of the battlefield and made short work of the archer up there.

I returned to Olivia so she could clean my wounds. Somewhere, I had taken a shallow cut from an axe as well as the spear wound. Olivia bandaged my injuries and handed me a healing potion, which I drank obediently. That really hit the spot, and I felt completely fresh, except for being slightly winded.

When Olivia was done and turned to help Leopold, I walked over to Ilzo’s pack and started untying Valuk’s sword. I figured he should have it, so he could help us if we were attacked again, but the others protested so much, despite my assurances that Valuk was my ally, that I let Ilzo keep the sword.

Va’lyndra patched up Ilzo, and he drank a ton of healing potions, before going to gather some goblin bones, which he could use to repair his armor. Olivia and I found a secluded spot behind one of the boulders. We rested there for an hour before Va’lyndra declared that it was time to move on. We needed to find a better place to camp, and we still had several hours of daylight left.


Thoughts on December 6th

Olivia, Petter and I had the last watch again. Olivia and I was a little distracted, but Petter spotted movement among the trees. Neither Olivia nor I could see anything in the direction where he pointed, but I decided we should wake the rest of our party and head out early. Ilzo, with his perfect darkvision, spotted a trap just before Va’lyndra stepped on it. She poked her staff at the ground and revealed a hole with sharp stakes at the bottom.

The rest of the day went without incident, but when it was time to make camp, we decided to push on. The goblin border couldn’t be that far ahead of us. Olivia and I didn’t complain, for we had had all the sleep we needed last night.

Ilzo and Leopold led the way now, as their eyes were most accustomed to not having light. They led us around many traps, until Ilzo triggered one. A log swung out from the side and struck him. Va’lyndra gave first aid, and Ilzo took a couple of healing potions, and then he was ready to continue.

After we had passed a few more traps, Ilzo declared that we had entered orc territory. We pitched our tents soon thereafter. Leopold approached Olivia with a foot that hurt from the forced march. Olivia put bandages on it, even though she confessed she didn’t know how to treat that kind of injury in a gnome.


Thoughts on December 7th

We decided not to head for Ilzo’s home village, as that would be a detour of several days. Va’lyndra and Leopold instead plotted a course for us towards the north-east. On the map we had left behind in Urdon, there were some distinctive mountains in the upper right corner which we would be able to see long before we reached them. Leopold’s foot injury worsened throughout the day, but a healing potion took care of it.


Thoughts on December 8th

We crossed orc tracks in the afternoon. Lots of them. We paid them little attention, believing we could talk our way around the orcs if they decided to track us down.


Thoughts on December 9th

The only thing of note today (except what Olivia and I did in our tent in the evening) was when Leopold walked into camp during our morning watch. We hadn’t seen him depart, so he had probably been gone since before our watch. Or perhaps Olivia and I had been a little preoccupied when he decided to leave camp and answer the call of nature. If he had been sleepwalking, we should have seen him. I didn’t challenge him about what he had been up to, since I didn’t want to admit that I had been somewhat distracted while I should have been guarding the camp.


Thoughts on December 10th

I miss Lightfoot and Marvin. And Snowflake and Bluebell, I guess. Traveling on foot doesn’t allow for much acrobatics practice.


Thoughts on December 11th

There is fortunately not much snow, yet. We’re still going only half as fast as we would, had we had our horses with us, if that. I know that the portals have a limit for how much weight can pass them, and horses would have been too much. Va’lyndra could barely walk after opening the portal from the vault basement, and the energy she spent was only just enough to bring us all through with all the artifacts. And Valuk.


Thoughts on December 12th

I’m still the only one with a cordial relationship with Valuk. Go figure! He doesn’t seem resentful that I took his eye. Olivia insists that he wants to tumble me, and that’s why he’s trying so hard to be nice to me. I say that makes him no different than most men. I’d be a terrible person if I started behaving badly towards everyone who wanted to sleep with me.


Thoughts on December 13th

The others are walking … so … slowly! At this pace, we’ll never reach Urdon before our food runs out. To keep me from dying of boredom, Olivia suggested I show her all the different jumps and leaps I knew. We counted eighteen basic skills and at least fifty-four additional variants. There were a few cases where Olivia thought that a variant of one jump looked too much like a different variant applied to another base jump. I showed her the two in succession, but she just couldn’t see the difference, and didn’t want to count them separately. That brought us as close to a fight as we’ve been in ages, and while I grumbled about it for most of the day, we made up in the evening.


Thoughts on December 14th

We had a minor run-in with a group of goblins today. There were fewer of them here than in last week’s ambush, and they didn’t have the element of surprise. Suffice it to say, we left them to rot (after Va’lyndra had rested for a few minutes to replenish her energy after spellcasting).

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on December 15th

The goblins spiced things up, yesterday, but now I’m back to boredom. Trudging along with a load on her back, Olivia hasn’t been very talkative. I offered to take some of it, even though I was already carrying half again as much as her, but she refused. She claimed it could cause dissention in the party if she was allowed to carry next to nothing. Since we walked behind everyone else, I argued that they wouldn’t see it; I could hand Olivia’s saddlebags back to her when we approached the site for a break. Olivia ended the argument: “It might have worked, if they hadn’t just heard us talking about it.”


Thoughts on December 16th

We walked and walked all day. I asked Va’lyndra if we should be able to see the mountains soon, but she just glared at me.


Thoughts on December 17th

I’m not the only one who’s sick of walking through the forest. I do my part to keep up morale, though, performing for the others when we set up camp. That cheers me up too, and I have Olivia to be intimate with. The others must be so frustrated, though, walking around the wilderness for days and days not getting any!


Thoughts on December 18th

I decided to stay chaste for the remainder of our journey, in sympathy with my poor companions who didn’t have a lover along to ease their suffering. I retired early, hoping to be asleep when Olivia entered the tent so I wouldn’t be tempted to break my word to myself. Olivia followed on my heels and asked concernedly if I was feeling ill. I explained my decision to her. Olivia thought it was the stupidest and most irresponsible thing I had done on this expedition. “You may be able to hold it in for a day or two, perhaps three, but when you snap, you’re going to jump the nearest person. And that may not be me.” I saw that she was talking sense, but I also noticed that she was preparing to “convince” me, so I said nothing and let her to rouse my hunger.


Thoughts on December 19th

Nothing happened all day. I suspected that the natives, goblins, kobolds and boogeymen, sensed our presence and wisely stayed away.


Thoughts on December 20th

We took stock of our food reserves this morning. We still had enough for nearly two more weeks, but that wouldn’t be enough to get us home, so the others thought we should start looking for tracks and such while we walked. Ilzo would set up snares when we made camp.


Thoughts on December 21st

Travel goes slower when one keeps a lookout for food and takes the occasional pause to track down something to shoot. Leopold and I went off while the others took a break; he followed the tracks, and I shot the rabbit we found.


Thoughts on December 22nd

Luckily, I don’t have to report to anyone about what’s been happening for the last few days. The only interesting things that happen are my encounters with Olivia, which she wouldn’t appreciate me talking about, and the shows I set up for our companions in the evenings, and I would much rather repeat a performance than talk about it. Shooting small game occasionally helps break up the boredom, but after the first couple of times, the excitement quickly peters out.


Thoughts on December 23rd

We got some excitement today, as Va’lyndra alerted us to slime blobs in the trees. We managed to avoid them, but we had a couple of close calls. I stayed near Olivia all day, even more than usual, with a hand hovering near Scorchmark, for the blobs are afraid of fire. Following in the others’ tracks at the back of the group, we were probably in the safest position.


Thoughts on December 24th

Va’lyndra’s insomnia struck last night. It’s been a while since her last episode, that I could recall. Hopefully, it passes quickly. Otherwise, we may be in for a rough time. Here in blob land, we need our scout to be alert.


Thoughts on December 25th

Va’lyndra slept well again. While we still saw blobs here and there, Leopold and I departed from the others on short hunting trips. I made Olivia promise to stay away from trees while I was gone, so the blobs couldn’t drop on her.


Thoughts on December 26th

Watching out for blobs and hunting rabbits with Leopold made the day’s travel a little interesting, even though nothing noteworthy occurred.


Thoughts on December 27th

Leopold decided to experiment with the artifact that looks like an arrow shot through a disc. Whenever we stopped for a few minutes, he retrieved it from his backpack, tossed it into the air and wrote down how it landed. I made sure to stay a safe distance away with Olivia. In total, he must have spent hours throwing that thing today. I don’t think he came to any conclusions, but I thought he had started out with a theory that the arrow would point more often in a certain direction, from the few snatches I overheard between him and Va’lyndra.


Thoughts on December 28th

I sighed with relief when I realized that Leopold wouldn’t be throwing the artifact around, today. Who knows which god he offends when he hurls their sacred relic up in the air?

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on December 29th

Va’lyndra spotted an elf among the trees and whistled a signal for us to be careful. We prepared our weapons and moved to catch up. I instructed Trond, Petter and Kalle to remain behind and guard Olivia. I supposed Toril and Klara would remain with them, where it was safer.

Va’lyndra called out in Elvish to get the elf’s attention, and he approached her, but Ilzo, Leopold and I got there first. The elf moved awkwardly, as if he wasn’t used to his body. He pulled a huge club along the ground and looked around with wild eyes that didn’t seem to be able to focus on one thing. His skin was dark, like that of a night elf, although those had died out a long time ago, or rather, they had performed a ritual that transformed them into the elves we know today. He also wore fine clothes, and in a city, I would have mistaken him for a noble. Out here, he just seemed like a crazy person.

Va’lyndra and the elf talked, and Leopold and Walter joined in the conversation, but I didn’t understand anything that was being said. Suddenly, the elf hefted his club and smacked it into the ground, but the talk continued. After a short while, the elf smacked the ground again, and this time, flames exploded from the impact. The dialog resumed as if nothing had happened. Then, Va’lyndra retrieved a Solus statuette from Ilzo’s backpack and showed it to the stranger.

The talk went on for a while, and when Va’lyndra started rummaging in Ilzo’s pack again, I asked Leopold what they had been talking about. He said that they were discussing the imbalance in the world that we were supposed to correct. Va’lyndra had told the elf that the high humans, who worshipped Solus, were in league with Serals, demons of Order. The stranger had another name for Solus, Karrak, and was adamant that Karrak wasn’t responsible for the imbalance. Leopold said that he thought the elf seemed insane, but was probably not undead. Va’lyndra added that the elf was dressed like those she and I had seen in our shared dream vision.

Va’lyndra held up a statuette of a whale, which I knew represented the god of dimensions, in whose temple we had appeared when we passed through the portal. The discussion in Elvish continued. I was starting to tire of not being able to understand what was being said, and looked around for somewhere I could sneak off to with Olivia. Despite waving the club about, the stranger didn’t really seem hostile, and the talk could go on for hours, if I knew Leopold and Va’lyndra right. When I looked back at the elf, though, he had begun walking away. He stopped and kicked a rock on the ground and said something to it, as if it somehow understood him.

Va’lyndra told us that the elf had claimed to have no name, and that tickled her memory. I mentioned that I seemed to recall that we came across a nameless god once, but the memory was so vague that I could be wrong. I certainly didn’t remember when and where.

Ilzo decided to run off after the elf. Leopold hurried after him, but I turned and reiterated to Trond and Petter that they needed to watch Olivia before beginning to run. When Ilzo approached the elf, he slowed down and started talking, but the elf ignored him, so he picked up a rock and threw it after the rude stranger. He missed, but the elf turned towards us. Ilzo made wild gestures with Surkalpi, and then the elf lifted his club and charged.

I stopped ten meters away from where Ilzo met his opponent and took aim. Ilzo blocked my line of sight, so I began circling the melee, ready to release as soon as I had a clear shot. Ilzo rammed Surkalpi through the elf, who didn’t even attempt a defense. The elf ignored the shock and swung his club at Ilzo, but missed. Ilzo dropped Surkalpi and grappled his opponent. I cursed and continued my circling.

The elf tried to bash Ilzo with the haft of his club, but Ilzo dodged. The elf was much stronger than he looked, for when Ilzo tried to tackle him to the ground, it took a couple of seconds. Somehow, the giant club had failed to register in my brain. The elf, not able to attack Ilzo directly, smacked the ground again, and lightning shot up around them. One bolt struck Ilzo and stunned him so he lost his grip on the elf. The elf headbutted Ilzo, who retaliated in kind. Ilzo parried the elf’s attempt at a bite before sinking his teeth into the elven neck. The elf began laughing, which agitated Ilzo to chomp again.

The elf tried to take hold of Ilzo, but the orc rolled away. Finally! I put an arrow into the elf’s chest, before I noticed him bubbling. Oh crap! The elf said something, which Va’lyndra translated later: “Come back when you know something!” And then he exploded. Even at a distance of ten meters, I felt the shockwave from the blast and was thankful that I wore armor. Ilzo had wisely rolled away, but I was still not sure if he would survive.

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on December 29th (continued)

Ilzo stood up slowly and asked for first aid. Va’lyndra complied. I asked Ilzo why he attacked the elf. The orc explained that he had only asked how to create chaos, and then the elf suddenly attacked him! Olivia asked if we were making camp here. Since Ilzo was standing, and it was only afternoon, I thought we should try to cover some more ground before bedtime. Ilzo smeared himself with healing salves, and then we were off. Passing a hilltop clearing, we could finally see the mountains we remembered from the map. They were still far away.


Thoughts on December 30th

The weather finally started turning colder. Not that I desired this, but it wouldn’t feel like winter if it didn’t get colder than it had been for the last couple of weeks. Our food supply was beginning to look meager, so we decided to spend the day looking for food. We split up into four hunting teams: Kalle and Petter, Leopold and Ilzo, Olivia and me, and Va’lyndra would go look for roots and leaves on her own. Trond, Toril and Klara would remain in camp to keep an eye on our equipment and on Valuk. Nobody had offered him healing since that first day, and the hard hiking interfered with his natural healing process according to Olivia, so he appreciated a day of rest.

Leopold expressed concern that Olivia and I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on the hunting, but Va’lyndra said it was all right. In any case, we proved Leopold wrong, for we brought back almost as much food as him and Ilzo, which was more than Kalle and Petter managed. Va’lyndra had a sack-full of plant food; I found it hard to compare that to the animals the rest of us had hunted down. In any case, it wasn’t a competition.


Thoughts on December 31st

We resumed our journey towards Urdon, heading approximately towards the north-east.


Thoughts on January 1st

We kept on walking. Even though the skies were clear and the sun shone, it got colder. Va’lyndra said that was just the way the weather worked in winter.


Thoughts on January 2nd

While she and I were keeping watch, Olivia spotted an animal moving nearby. I couldn’t see anything in the dark, but I strung my bow anyway. The animal moved towards Ilzo’s tent, so Olivia asked if we should just let it be. It could be a funny prank, but it could turn ugly, too. Besides, we needed food. Olivia squinted into the darkness and whispered that there were more of them; she thought they were snakes. She took Surkalpi and climbed a tree while I moved closer.

When I got near enough, I could make out the shapes, and to my eyes, it didn’t look like snakes at all. I fired an arrow at one of them. I missed the little figure in the dark, but the animals didn’t notice being shot at. My next arrow pinned one of them to the ground. I stepped closer and shot again, killing another critter, and this time, they spotted me. I told Ilzo he had unwanted visitors, but Olivia screamed, “They’re at our packs! Surkalpi!” Light flooded the campsite, and the remaining animals fled, Ilzo hard on their heels. I ran towards Olivia, but there was no danger there.

I asked Petter, who had shared the watch with Olivia and me from a discreet distance, if he knew whether these animals were edible. He explained that they were some kind of rat; it depended on what they’d eaten recently. That didn’t seem very appetizing to me, but maybe Ilzo wanted them. Sure enough, Ilzo had caught up with some of the fleeing rats and brought two back. I asked if he would like the two I shot as well. He licked his lips. Checking on his snares, he found another rat.

We spent the day hunting and gathering as planned. The rats were enough to feed Ilzo for a day or two, but we had eleven mouths to feed. Olivia and I hunted together like last time, but our catch was scarce. Maybe there was something to what had been said? I certainly took the opportunity while we were alone to admire Olivia’s curves. And maybe it went beyond admiration. The other hunting parties brought back larger hauls, but I got lucky, and that’s what matters.

Leopold made some calculations, based on our collected catch, and determined that we should spend three days walking between each hunting day, if what we caught today and a couple of days ago was representative.


Thoughts on January 3rd

We moved on. Two days of rest hadn’t been enough for Valuk to improve enough to pick up the pace, so I asked Olivia if she thought I should give him another potion of healing. She said no. I began to ask why not, but she distracted me.


Thoughts on January 4th

The mountains were due east now. That meant we were approaching the edge of the map. Leopold would have liked to have it along, so he could make notes on it, but he had left it at the knowledge guild outside Urdon, as he didn’t think he was going to need it.


Thoughts on January 5th

We came upon the remains of a village early in the day. Va’lyndra and I snuck closer to see if goblins or boogeymen occupied it, but we saw no movement, and no footprints in the thin layer of snow that had fallen the night before last. We agreed to fetch the others and do a search together.

I found a lot of nice places to climb. I was looking down on Leopold when he discovered what had to have been the chief’s home, complete with a cellar vault. He summoned Va’lyndra to look for traps, but she just sent Ilzo in first. She might have looked for magic beforehand, though, but they were just out of earshot, so I couldn’t hear what they said. They brought out a couple of handfuls of silver and gold coins, and a magic ring, which Va’lyndra analyzed when we stopped for the night, discovering that it made the bearer fearless. “Your rational ability to assess danger and risk vanishes,” she warned.

I didn’t think the ring suited me, even though Olivia thought that Va’lyndra was exaggerating. Leopold tried the ring on, but didn’t feel any different. He wouldn’t; he’s already fearless enough, bordering on foolhardiness, if not plain stupidity. Va’lyndra suggested we set up a rotating schedule, or perhaps we should just give it to Olivia? I glanced at my lover skeptically. She squirmed against me, clearly uncomfortable with the idea. She bravely declared that Va’lyndra, Leopold and I should decide. Leopold didn’t want to relinquish the ring though, not without experimenting first. He climbed a tree. What was so scary about that?


Thoughts on January 6th

With all the excitement of yesterday’s find, everyone forgot that we had scheduled today as a day for hunting. We still had a few days of food remaining, so it wasn’t urgent.


Thoughts on January 7th

The ground was still covered with only a thin layer of white and the skies were clear, so Olivia and I weren’t hampered when we split off from the rest of the group to hunt. Rolling around in the snow wasn’t very tempting, so I had to be satisfied with some hugs through winter clothes, and could focus on the task at hand. We brought back a fair share of game, although Ilzo and Leopold were more successful. In the evening, Olivia rewarded me for being a good girl.


Thoughts on January 8th

We resumed our north-east-bound journey. I tried to get Va’lyndra to explain why it was so cold when the sun shone, but she tired of my pestering and asked Olivia to keep me off her back. Olivia told me that she had pondered some things that she had learned when she studied surgery. While she only had received basic instructions, she had some ideas that she wanted to discuss when she found someone knowledgeable again. I was happy for her, and I would gladly spend a fortune on tutoring for her, for I believed she had found her calling, but I appreciated her understanding that I had no mind for medicine beyond bandaging simple wounds. I listened to her all day, for she stayed clear of topics and phrases that she knew I wouldn’t comprehend.