Campaign Log: Chaotic Pioneering

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on September 5th

Today was another quiet and restful day. I pushed myself during practice, which made the time relaxing with Olivia afterwards even better. Acrobatics and sex are my two favorite pastimes!


Thoughts on September 6th

If Va’lyndra and the others had been lucky in their search for a hideout, they would come back today, but I really didn’t expect them back until tomorrow or the day after.


Thoughts on September 7th

Like yesterday, I tried to make the most of my time before the others returned. While they were away, I didn’t have to think about our quest to save the world. They showed up at the White Truffle in the evening, passing through the common room while I was performing. Va’lyndra stopped to exchange a few words with Olivia before going upstairs.

Olivia informed me that she had lent Va’lyndra her key to our suite. Our friends wanted to tell us about their trip, but not in public. Va’lyndra explained that they had found a bear cave, two and a half days to the south-west, and Ilzo added that they scared away the two bears living there. Leopold had expanded the cave, making it large enough for us to bring our horses inside. While they would be more comfortable outside, we might have to bring them inside if we were followed when we brought Neriel there.

It was out of the question to bring Olivia along on the raid, but I saw several possibilities for her. She could follow in her own pace, after the raid, but Va’lyndra said she’d never find the cave on her own, even with directions. She could also accompany us to the cave when we went to drop off supplies. Waiting in a bear cave for several days, alone, didn’t appeal to her. What if the bears returned? Since we were going to Urdon after interrogating Neriel, to report to Karl Morgenstern, Olivia preferred to find a caravan that was going there. If we were fast, we’d overtake the caravan. Otherwise, we’d meet up in Urdon. I didn’t like the idea of being parted from Olivia for what would likely be several weeks, if not a month or more, but she assured me she would be all right. She would be protected in the caravan.


Thoughts on September 8th

We discovered that a caravan was leaving for Urdon tomorrow, so Olivia would spend another day in Surd. That was good, for that meant she had time to help me reorganize our luggage. Since I was going to have to travel quickly, we decided to let her keep most of our things, including the Sulla statuette and my acrobatics gear. We rearranged some potions as well. With all the equipment shifted from my horses to hers, she wouldn’t be able to ride, but there would be wagons in the caravan that could carry her. The others handed over some stuff to Olivia, too, but they also provided enough horses to carry it. We bought traveling rations for our journey to Urdon, and after a final round in bed, I said goodbye to Olivia.

Traveling south-west, we began by following roads, but soon took off from them. Va’lyndra and Ilzo did what they could to cover our tracks. We found a small copse in the evening, and camped there. Pitching my tent without Olivia to help was difficult, emotionally. It didn’t help that Va’lyndra and Ilzo left the camp to “dance among the trees”.


Thoughts on September 9th

We continued towards the bear cave and made camp in another thicket in the evening. Again, Va’lyndra and Ilzo went off to “dance”. I truly began to regret leaving Olivia behind.


Thoughts on September 10th

We found the bear cave in the middle of the day. We deposited our supplies and turned back towards Surd. We found another copse for Va’lyndra and Ilzo to “dance” in, in the evening.


Thoughts on September 11th

Va’lyndra and Ilzo kept on like rabbits, it seemed to me. Luckily, they didn’t show any affection when Leopold or I was around, and went far enough inside the trees at night that I couldn’t hear them. To keep from joining in, I told myself over and over that they really were just dancing. Dancing was fun, and I wouldn’t have minded participating in that, but the kind of dance they were up to was the kind that Olivia wouldn’t like me to attend. I didn’t believe Olivia expected me to maintain celibacy until we met again in Urdon. She might hope, but me going without sex for a month was as likely as Lightfoot taking up juggling. Still, sleeping with Ilzo would be a worse betrayal than either of us could bear. Fortunately, him being spoken for was a powerful deterrent, for I imagined that Va’lyndra wouldn’t be as merciful as Olivia, if she discovered I was tumbling her man.


Thoughts on September 12th

We reached Surd in the evening. Va’lyndra said the horses needed a day of rest before the run back to the cave. She took them to a nearby farm and paid for them to be locked up with the farmer’s own animals. She was going to spend the night there, but the rest of us pitched our tents on the outskirts of the slum. There were many people living in tents there, so we didn’t stand out.


Thoughts on September 13th

I remained inside my tent, so I wouldn’t be recognized. I had made a public departure from the city last week, and it wouldn’t do to have me spotted now. Ilzo bought a large sack in which he could carry Neriel through the slums when we left. The Seral wasn’t very large, but we feared that he might transform to a larger shape.

Va’lyndra came to get me in the afternoon. I took down my tent and brought it along. At the farm, she wanted to see if I could pick the lock on the barn so we could get our horses out tonight without waking the farmer. I turned my back on the lock and pretended to lean against the wall, talking to her. Behind my back, I fumbled for a bit before defeating the lock. I felt good, confident that I could open it tonight. I put my tent in Lightfoot’s saddlebags.

For the remainder of the day, we rested, as we would be very active once night fell. As soon as it was dark, we met up and made our way through the slums, towards the sewer entrance. Va’lyndra slipped on something and fell with a curse, making people open their windows and hush us. Luckily, this event was far enough from the sewer entrance that these people shouldn’t connect it with us.

We passed the fence and retrieved our sewer clothes from the rotten barrel. We changed, all except for Leopold, who was a gnome, and could waltz around naked. Nobody was going to see him in the sewers, but still.

Leopold opened our tunnels and we soon found ourselves under the cathedral district, where we rested for a while. Va’lyndra created a water jet and cleaned us up as best she could. When Leopold had his breath back, I helped him up the shoot towards Neriel’s house. I made sure I got as little sewage on me as possible. With that constraint, and with Leopold in tow, it became a little difficult to make the climb. Oh, who am I kidding? It was no more difficult than cartwheeling along a tightrope.

Leopold made a tunnel under Neriel’s floor. It sloped up towards the surface, after going under the building’s foundations. I entered and began to change. Va’lyndra made sure to get us all as clean as possible before we put on new clothes. I dressed myself in leather armor and black clothes, complete with balaclava, but realized I had forgotten to bring a gag. I would just have to remember not to speak so anyone could hear me, and we’d find something to stuff in Neriel’s mouth. We needed to gag and tie up the servants and the guards, too. Leopold said he needed two hours to restore his energy before the break-in, so I lay down to sleep.

[coronatiger]

Here's a poem that Olivia may have composed, pining for Mattea, unless she's dead in a ditch somewhere, in which case I want my Ally points back!

The caravan trudges along on the plains.
When will you catch up? The moon waxes and wanes.
I pray for your safety, wherever you are,
but hope that you're here soon, my brilliant star.

I lie down to sleep in a cold, lonely bed,
I'm warmed by the thought of the last thing you said:
"I love you," you told me, "we'll meet again soon!"
Your kiss was so vibrant I howled at the moon.

My heart thumps a rhythm, a confident beat
in anticipation of next time we meet.
I catch myself listen for what isn't here:
The echo of your heart caressing my ear.

I long for the next time I'll witness your show.
The crowd shouts "Encore!" but the two of us go.
Our private performance begins with a kiss,
a touch of the lips I so heartily miss.

Your eyes glow with hunger, desire and lust.
Your hands find their way to my hips and my bust,
and garment by garment take off through the air...
I wake up and realize: You are not here!

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on September 14th

Leopold put a hand on my shoulder, waking me in complete darkness, so it took me a few seconds to understand what was going on. He was fully rested and it was time to move. I strung my bow while Va’lyndra climbed up to the floorboards. There was some room between the ground and the floor, and Va’lyndra and Leopold lay there while listening for sounds from above.

Leopold thought it was dark in the room above us. If there’d been light, we should have seen it through the floorboards, he explained. Va’lyndra began to shape the wooden floor with her magic, silently bending the boards upwards. When the hole was large enough, she signaled for Leopold to climb up and look around. This was a storage room for spare furniture, Leopold whispered, and warned us that there were many things to trip over. In fact, Va’lyndra’s wood shaping had nearly overturned a stack of chairs. Va’lyndra asked Leopold to move the chairs a little, so the stack wouldn’t topple if anyone brushed by it.

I thought I heard something to the south, and whispered to Ilzo, “Did you hear that?” Ilzo hadn’t heard anything, and thought it was my imagination. I wasn’t so sure about that, but figured that since Va’lyndra and Leopold were closer, and both had much sharper ears than me, if it was anything to worry about, they’d let us know. Leopold whispered that we should get inside, so perhaps it was just my imagination after all? “You first,” I whispered to Ilzo. When he had climbed up, I passed him Surkalpi and my bow. It was easier to climb without having to worry about our long weapons accidentally bumping into something.

In the storage room, I removed my backpack and handed it to Leopold. “Can you find a potion of invulnerability, a potion of battle and a potion of speed?” I asked him, for I couldn’t see anything in the dark. I drank the first two, as their effect lasts for an hour or more, then dropped the empty bottles into my pack before putting it on. The potion of speed had shorter duration, so I planned to drink it just before entering combat. I held it in my right hand, still corked, but ready to be drunk on short notice. I took my bow back from Ilzo with my left hand.

Va’lyndra had discovered that the door was locked, and asked me to pick it. I swapped the speed potion for the lock picks in my pouch, taking care to mark the location of the potion, so I wouldn’t mistake it for the potion of major healing I always kept in my pouch. I defeated the lock in three seconds; the potion of battle had boosted my dexterity to extreme levels. I retrieved the speed potion from my pouch.

Leopold opened the door carefully, but it still squeaked a little. It opened halfway along a corridor with many doors. There was a window at one end of the hallway, but the curtains were drawn, so we weren’t at risk from outside observers. Two of the doors were open, including the one at the other end. A lamp hung from the ceiling, and I double-checked that I had the correct potion in my hand. I had.

Leopold stepped aside and gestured for the rest of us to move out. Va’lyndra entered the corridor, but immediately held up a hand: “Wait!” She peeked out through the door at the end of the hall before signaling that the coast was clear. She closed that door so we could examine the corridor without being seen by someone happening by the other side.

I sneaked up to the other open door, but no light came from within, so I waved for the others to come. Ilzo noticed my signal and peered inside. “New escape route,” he explained. There was an exit on the other side of the room.
Va’lyndra and Leopold listened to the closed doors and looked through keyholes. I waited beside the window so I’d have line of sight to anyone entering the corridor. When they’d examined all the doors, Leopold signaled that we should approach. Huddling close, he informed us that someone was sleeping behind two of the doors, and he had seen stairs leading up behind a third door.

I whispered, “Stairs!” and Leopold put his eye to the keyhole again before opening the door. Leopold went first, followed by me, Va’lyndra and Ilzo. Above the stairs was a landing and another door. Leopold listened at the door and looked through the keyhole before opening the door.

We found ourselves facing another corridor, precisely above the one we came from below. The door at the end was open, but all doors along the sides were closed. We could see through to another corridor, with more stairs at the far end.

Our host was considerate enough to leave lights on, both in the staircase room and in the corridors. It suggested, however, that not everyone in the house was asleep. Or perhaps Neriel was simply too wealthy to bother with the price of lamp oil.

Leopold listened for a moment at the door, just in case he could hear anything with it open, then he let us out so we could begin listening on doors and peering through keyholes. Leopold was a bit noisy when he moved, but we noticed no signs that anyone but us had heard him.

Va’lyndra signaled that she wanted me to pick her door, so I did. This lock was no more difficult than the last one. I stepped aside and let Va’lyndra open the door. The hinges squeaked a little, so she took her time. It was dark inside, so she opened the door completely, to take maximum advantage of the light in the hall. She entered and began rifling through the papers lying on a desk or a table.

Ilzo tried the door handles of the doors he and I had listened to, and discovered that both were locked, but he didn’t instruct me to open them. There were more doors to check out. I noticed Leopold still listening to his first door.

Leopold prodded me and waved at Va’lyndra and Ilzo, who were farther away. He signaled that we should be completely quiet, then gestured incomprehensibly with his arms, before pointing to the door. Ilzo reached for the door handle, but Leopold grabbed his hand. I pointed at my bow and tried to make it a silent question: “Do we fight?” Va’lyndra just shrugged her shoulders questioningly.

Leopold pulled us along to the end of the hallway. “Someone’s awake in there, reading!” he whispered. He couldn’t see the person through the keyhole, but thought it was Neriel. Who else would be up reading at this time of night?

I quaffed my potion of speed and put the empty bottle into my backpack. I suggested that Va’lyndra opened the door, and Ilzo and I fired into the room, but Va’lyndra was worried that we might kill Neriel. It would be better if we ran inside and punched him. Or even better if we sneaked inside and punched him. Unless Neriel was staring at the door, I should be able to sneak up on him. Since I acquired my magical knife, Scorchmark, I haven’t used my brass knuckles in combat, and now I cursed myself for leaving them in Olivia’s care.

Ilzo and I prepared ourselves, and Va’lyndra shaped the door open. A middle-aged man in a fine silk night suit sat behind a desk. He was facing towards the door, but focused on his reading. I entered the room, moving as quietly as I could until I stood beside his chair. He glanced up at Ilzo, who moved straight for the man, but I cracked him behind the ear, so hard he tumbled off his chair, or at least he would have, if Ilzo hadn’t reached over the desk and grabbed him. I gaped at Ilzo’s acrobatic lunge, executed to perfection.

The man was completely out, and I directed Ilzo to put him down on the floor. Perhaps it was a good thing that I forgot to bring my brass knuckles. I asked Va’lyndra if this was Neriel. She nodded, but pointed at Leopold. The gnome was preoccupied with watching the corridor, and failed to notice her until she went out and fetched him. Leopold confirmed that this was Neriel. He began reading the open book on the desk.

I put my handcuffs on Neriel, with his arms behind his back. Then I began wrapping my rope around him. Va’lyndra found scarves in a wardrobe, preventing me from slicing up the bedsheets. We could still get away without anyone being the wiser about our incursion. If we left everything as we found it, the others living here might think that Neriel had left on his own. Ilzo and I gagged Neriel, in case he woke up, and stuffed him into Ilzo’s giant sack. Va’lyndra asked if we should bring any of his books – there were three on the desk – and Leopold answered that we should bring the one that was written in a language he didn’t understand. Va’lyndra grabbed it, along with some clothes for Neriel.

[coronatiger]

Ilzo lifted up his sack, and I reminded Va’lyndra to repair the door. Once that was done, I started moving towards the stairs, but Leopold heard footsteps and hushed us. “We must hide in the office!” Leopold whispered. We entered the room I had opened for Va’lyndra and closed the door. Va’lyndra put her ear to the door, and Leopold put his to the floor. Va’lyndra whispered that a guard was checking the rooms. She wanted us to leave through the window. I countered that we could leave through the floor, so we’d get out through the storage room and close everything behind us. Leopold told us to keep our cool.

We waited for ten minutes, and then Va’lyndra asked if we should go. Leopold replied that we should go out the way we came in, so I led the way to the stairs. I suddenly remembered that the office had been locked when we entered, so I returned to lock it up again. It only took me a few seconds, and then we descended the stairs.

Leopold checked the door and opened it cautiously. There was nobody in the downstairs corridor, so we skulked to the furniture storage. The floor creaked behind me, under the weight of Ilzo and Neriel. Ilzo was the last to enter the storage room, and bumped the sack into the door, making it slam against the wall. “Quickly!” I hissed at him, and closed the door as soon as he entered. I locked the door while Ilzo practically jumped down the hole in the floor; he put down his load carefully first, though.

Va’lyndra and I lowered Neriel into the tunnel, where Ilzo waited. We heard footsteps in the corridor, and Ilzo whispered, “Drop him! I’ll catch!” Not quite as flustered, Va’lyndra and I took our time, making sure we were quiet. I followed into the tunnel, and Va’lyndra closed the floor above us. Leopold told us to change into sewer clothes.

To get Neriel down the sewer shoot, I climbed first, and had the sack behind, resting against me so it would slide down slowly and controlled. The others came after. Leopold closed up the tunnel so potential investigators wouldn’t find it.

Va’lyndra was reeling from the effort of shaping so much wood. These last few weeks, since I began sleeping with Laurus, really, I’ve had serious doubts about the wisdom of visiting him, but now I saw that it had paid off. If Va’lyndra was this tired, now, I couldn’t imagine how exhausted she would be if she had had to open all those locks I picked herself. I offered to carry her, but she refused. I think she thought I was coming on to her, but that was not the case. She’s as straight as a nail, so if I wanted to have a chance with her, I would need to change into Fabian first. Not that I’d ever do that. I was going to remain celibate until I saw Olivia again. Va’lyndra did allow me to carry her backpack, though.

When we passed the metal bars under the border of the cathedral district, Leopold shaped the stone around the bars to remove the signs that we had tampered with it. We moved through the sewers and found the shoot leading to the tunnel we had spent much time preparing last month. I began to climb with Neriel balanced on my back. I had almost reached Leopold and Va’lyndra, who had climbed before me, when Neriel began to stir. Neither elbow prods nor threats of another punch to the skull worked, but I didn’t dare follow through with the threats in case I killed our prisoner. Balancing a struggling prisoner on my back while climbing up a slippery slope of sewage wasn’t easy, but I managed.

Leopold hushed us when Ilzo and I got up, for someone had opened their hatch on the other side of the tunnel, and was emptying their night pots. We waited in silence for a few minutes, and then we exited our tunnel on the other side. Leopold closed it up after us. While climbing down the shoot from our tunnel, my dexterity boost wore off, but fortunately, Neriel’s struggling wasn’t that much of a problem, going down, when I just had to prevent him from sliding past me.

We wrapped Surkalpi in Neriel’s extra clothes that Va’lyndra had brought, for it would shine as bright as the sun otherwise. Olivia’s lantern was another of those things I had sent with her. The main sewer channel was so straight, those with night vision could see the entrance halfway across town. Neriel complained louder and louder through the gag, and we opened the sack to show him Leopold’s knife. That didn’t help at all. He just became even more frantic. Va’lyndra proposed that Ilzo choked him until he passed out, so Ilzo sat down on him and told him to stop making a ruckus, or he’d make him stop. That made Neriel shut up, but Ilzo choked him anyway. At the entrance, we stripped off our sewer clothes for the last time, and Va’lyndra hosed us off as best she could. She suggested taking a breather before venturing out through the slums. Neriel woke again before the half-hour she wanted was up. Ilzo choked him again. It seemed he had found a good technique for making a defenseless person pass out. Ilzo hefted out prisoner over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, but I didn’t think they looked like anything but what they were: Someone carrying a prisoner in a large sack.

Va’lyndra scouted ahead, and was the only one not to be spotted when Ilzo kicked over a stack of barrels that began rumbling down the street, waking everyone. Ilzo just kept walking as if nothing was wrong. I was beginning to panic, but Leopold’s calm demeanor relaxed me. I had my balaclava on, anyway, so I wouldn’t be recognized. I forced myself to walk normally, instead of my signature sashaying. One person opened a hatch and yelled at Ilzo for disturbing their sleep, but most people just took a glance at the huge orc who was clearly up to no good, and decided they didn’t want anything to do with him. Least of all provoke him.

Leopold noticed a light approaching from the side, and led us down an alley in the other direction. Losing the guards made us also lose track of Va’lyndra, but we decided to head for the farm where our horses were stabled. We hoped Va’lyndra would find her own way there, but then Ilzo spotted her, waving at us, so we regrouped and Leopold explained about the guards. Va’lyndra went ahead again, but didn’t range as far away as before.

We reached the farm without further incidents. I picked the lock of a side door on the barn, and we opened the barred main door from the inside so we could take our horses out. We loaded up and tried to tie Neriel to Lightfoot, but we just couldn’t get him balanced, so I moved my luggage to Lightfoot, and took the sack with Neriel in front of Marvin’s saddle where I could make sure he didn’t fall off.

We rode into the night rather slowly. We didn’t want to risk injury to the horses in the dark. At the crack of dawn, we noticed a farmer going out to his fields. Not long after, we found a small cluster of trees where we considered camping. Leopold thought we should continue until we were a little more tired; we had had a restful day before the break-in, so we could keep going a little longer.

We made another attempt at balancing Neriel on Marvin. It worked better this time, and we put luggage over him, to hide the human-shape-in-a-sack. The camouflage wasn’t great, so Va’lyndra put some branches on top. That made it better, but we still shouldn’t let anyone get a close look, so we agreed that Leopold and Ilzo should ride between Marvin and the people we would meet on the roads.

It had been a while since I rode Lightfoot except during practice and performance, and it felt kind of odd to use him for transportation. Marvin was my adventuring horse, the one I rode on our travels, while Lightfoot was my show horse who just tagged along on adventures with my acrobatics equipment, just in case.

Va’lyndra rode in front as usual. When we met people coming in the other direction, I immediately realized that Leopold had forgotten his task. Ilzo did a good enough job getting in the way so those folks shouldn’t see Neriel, but once we’d put the travelers behind us, we stopped and I tied Marvin’s lead rope to Leopold’s saddle. I could ride interference much better than the gnome anyway, I had just assumed that since Marvin was my horse, I should lead him. We usually take care of our own animals when we travel, except when Olivia helps out. I miss her so much!

We stopped around noon to rest the horses, and ourselves. Ilzo offered to keep watch so the rest of us could get some sleep. I thanked him for the sacrifice.

After a couple of hours, we continued. Ilzo and I masterfully blocked Neriel from view from everyone we met. We kept riding until it began to get dark. Then we began to look for an isolated spot where we could camp. We were unlucky, for we had just entered a more densely populated area, and it took us two hours to find a suitable thicket. We prepared our camp as best we could and agreed that we had to keep watch during the night, because of Neriel. I was to have the last watch, after Va’lyndra, Leopold and Ilzo.

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on September 15th

Keeping watch without Olivia for company was miserable. Nothing happened at all during my watch, and that only made it worse. No distractions, no nothing. Just me with my filthy mind for company. I shut away the nude images as best I could. I told myself again and again that I was going to remain celibate until I rejoined Olivia. How I had lasted this long without the hunger taking control was a mystery. Not being around anyone who made passes at me helped, of course, but I wasn’t very optimistic about how long I could refrain from initiating anything myself.

Our travel continued. Ilzo and I again blocked Neriel from view, but then Va’lyndra found a creek we should ride in, to hide our tracks. When the others were out here exploring earlier, they had discovered that this creek was part of a network of tiny waterways, perfect for losing anyone following. Va’lyndra and Leopold hid the tracks down to the creek. In the evening, we found another thicket to hide in.


Thoughts on September 16th

We continued our flight and arrived at the bear cave in the afternoon. We put Neriel in the innermost chamber. Leopold had made a separate room for our prisoner, and also one for Olivia and me, that I wouldn’t be needing. Perhaps Va’lyndra and Ilzo could use it instead? I hoped not, at least while I was near enough to overhear. Just in case, I offered to look after the horses while they grazed, to make sure they didn’t run away, I said, but really, I needed to be alone, so I wouldn’t tempt the hunger.

I practiced acrobatics while keeping half an eye on the horses. I saw Va’lyndra and Ilzo leave the cave, presumably to go “dancing”, as Va’lyndra brought her Elendus statuette. I thought it was considerate of them not to do their thing within earshot. I also thought myself blessed, having adventuring companions who didn’t complain when Olivia and I got down to business. We were far less discreet than Va’lyndra and Ilzo, even though we tried to be quiet, at least when the others were sleeping.

Leopold sat down to read just outside the cave entrance, leaving Walter to watch over Neriel. After a while, Leopold called for help, and I rushed inside. Leopold had gone inside to talk to Neriel, and removed the gag, and now Neriel was giving him the rough side of his tongue. “Are you going to let him harangue you this way?” I asked Leopold incredulously, replacing the gag. Leopold answered that Walter had reported that Neriel tried to get loose, so I checked the ropes. They were as tight as when I tied them; Walter could keep watching Neriel.

When Va’lyndra and Ilzo returned, we agreed that we could have Walter watch Neriel through the night. The undead skull didn’t need sleep. Va’lyndra, Ilzo and I should keep watch from the top of the small hill, so we’d see if anyone came near. Leopold couldn’t be trusted not to fall face-first into a book when he should remain alert. We wanted to take the horses inside during the night, and only Lightfoot was trained to enter caves willingly, but Leopold and Va’lyndra convinced the others to follow.

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on September 17th

Neriel tried to free himself all during the night, and Walter raised the alarm many times, but my knots were tied well. Va’lyndra, Ilzo and I all took four-hour watches, so it was quite late when the two of them got up and told me my watch was done. We had breakfast, and then took the horses to pasture.

Va’lyndra called me back and asked me to bring Ilzo and Leopold to where she was monitoring Neriel. Va’lyndra thought our prisoner seemed in remarkably good shape considering the smack I had given him. I supposed he just healed faster than humans, he was a Seral, a demon of Order, after all. Who knows what mystical powers they possess?

Va’lyndra said we should start with polite conversation and could resort to torture later if being nice didn’t work. Leopold removed Neriel’s gag, and our captive immediately began shouting for help. Leopold explained to him that we had waited to ungag him until we arrived at a place where only we and the crows could hear him. “And the horses,” I added. Neriel kept yelling, so much that it was difficult to hear what my friends were saying. I knelt next to him and put my hands over his mouth. Ilzo asked him a question, but I was so focused on Neriel I didn’t catch it. Va’lyndra gestured that I should remove my hands, so I did. Neriel resumed his shouting. Annoyedly, I punched him on the chest, deliberately on the ropes that tied him so they’d soak up some of the force. Neriel kept wheezing for help, totally uninterested in answering our questions. Va’lyndra began a spell dance, and Ilzo, taking my lead, stomped on Neriel’s knee. Leopold asked me to make him quiet, but as I reached towards him, his eyes rolled up into his skull.

Va’lyndra asked Leopold to fetch the Chaos measuring balance scale, for Neriel had some kind of divine magic working on him. The gnome went out to the larger chamber in the cave to get it. I realized I wasn’t any good at retrieving information from prisoners. If I couldn’t contain my annoyance, I was a liability to the interrogation. I left to watch the horses, but told Va’lyndra to call for me if they needed anything. I hadn’t had sex in well over a week, and it was getting to me, making me restless, irritable and impulsive. I didn’t have any prospects for getting laid in the near future either, and that only exacerbated the situation.

I needed to give pleasure to receive it. The thought of going at it alone or with someone who wasn’t into it repulsed me. I could try to seduce Ilzo or Va’lyndra, but I’m afraid the other one won’t leave anything for Olivia to kill when she hears of it. Leopold’s completely uninterested in carnal pleasures. I don’t even think a hot gnome chick could tease him away from his books. Maybe I could interest Neriel in a little bondage? I doubt I’d be allowed to untie him. I wasn’t optimistic about that, though. From what we’ve learned about Neriel, he isn’t particularly adventurous.

“Mattea!” Va’lyndra’s voice intruded on my musings and her frantic tone made the haze clear out of my eyes. I ran back to the cave. “What happened?” I asked on my way inside, but it was obvious why Va’lyndra had called for me. Leopold had put the flat side of his knife to Neriel’s cheek, and Neriel had sprouted wings as well as growing larger. That wasn’t an issue in and of itself, but the ropes were so tight now that Va’lyndra worried that Neriel might not be able to breathe. I untied the still unconscious prisoner and retied the rope, taking into consideration his altered shape.

Leopold was very happy that our hypothesis about Neriel being a Seral turned out to be true. I pointed out that we still hadn’t received confirmation that this Seral was in fact Neriel, although it seemed reasonable to assume so. I fetched my water skin in the outer cave and dumped what was left in it over Neriel. He sputtered awake. “Hi,” I said. “So, this is how you really look like?” Neriel tried to insult me with a slurred voice, implying that my line was going extinct, and that I was the offspring of a pig and a truffle. I was too preoccupied with thoughts of Olivia to be affronted by Neriel’s words.

Neriel shut up for a moment when Leopold brought out his knife, but then he picked up where he left off. Leopold informed him that we thought the knife was harmful to creatures of Order, and was called a son of a whore in thanks. Leopold leaned in and Neriel tried to scooch away, but he didn’t have much room to move. Leopold asked him to stop the verbal abuse so we could have an actual conversation. Neriel only grunted rudely at him, so Leopold put his knife back on Neriel’s cheek. I could see Chaotic energy push from the weapon and into the Seral. Leopold asked Va’lyndra if he could try the same on her, but since she wasn’t a creature of Order, the knife only felt cool on her cheek. Leopold muttered that the knife was a good investment. He threatened Neriel with it and told him to answer properly.

“You are a Seral, but what do you call yourself,” Leopold asked. Neriel stared silently at Leopold and his knife. “What’s your name?” Still no reply. At least Neriel had stopped his litany of insults. Leopold moved the knife towards Neriel, who finally admitted his name. “Have you always been called Neriel?” Leopold continued. The Seral snapped shut his mouth, but opened it when the knife came near again, to confess two more names, Vurdel and Saran. Vurdel was minister for something in the Holy Alliance fifty years ago, Leopold could inform us. He didn’t know anything about Saran.

Va’lyndra left to get the book we had taken from Neriel’s desk, the one Leopold was so fascinated by since it was written in a language he didn’t understand. For several reasons, I wasn’t comfortable in the interrogation room, so I declared that I was going out to the horses again. I hate being alone, but sometimes, you just have to bear it.

It didn’t take long before Ilzo called for me. Neriel was on the brink of death, and they needed the potion of resuscitation. I found it in my backpack and handed it to Va’lyndra. Ilzo had to hold Neriel down so she could administer it, for he was shaking uncontrollably.

“Who chopped up Lady Lovelace?!” I asked indignantly. Someone had cut my ropes to pieces. I could tell it wasn’t Neriel who had broken free during his spasms, for the rope was clearly sliced with a blade. Nobody confessed to the crime, but Va’lyndra offered to use her plant magic to repair it.

The potion had taken effect, saving Neriel’s life, and I tied him up again once Va’lyndra had fixed my rope. Ilzo fetched a boulder for Leopold to fasten the handcuffs to, as we didn’t dare tie up Neriel as tightly as before. Leopold also pointed out that he could transform to his smaller human shape and slip free that way. I stomped off to check on the horses, still angry over the attempted murder of Lady Lovelace. Leopold sat down to read again, while Neriel rested.

Neriel woke up in the evening, just as we were preparing for bed. I was glad for the gag, otherwise I’d never be able to sleep. My watch was going to be in the morning again, when darkness receded.


Thoughts on September 18th

I took the horses outside again, and let the others bother Neriel. I needed to stay away from temptation if I wanted to be free of guilt when I greeted Olivia again. Solitude and acrobatic practice were my best hopes.

The others discovered that we wouldn’t get much more out of Neriel, and wanted to bring him to Karl Morgenstern in Urdon, through the wilderness. I flinched. That would prevent me from catching up with Olivia’s caravan on the way west. Maybe I could go on alone to see if I could find my wife? The others should be able to take care of Neriel. It didn’t seem like he needed either sleep, food or water.

We decided to stay at the bear cave for the rest of the day, preparing and resting so we’ll be ready for an early start tomorrow. Va’lyndra chose to spend the day with Neriel. I thought they had given up on the interrogation. Perhaps not. Leopold buried himself in Neriel’s book, which was still written in a language he didn’t know. I decided not to ask why, and spent the day with the horses, trying not to think about sex. It wasn’t easy.

[coronatiger]

Another poem by Olivia, since she (and I) has the time to write:

Gone is the light, it's dark ahead
And everywhere, I fear to tread
In darkness, I am all alone
Against the beasts, can't hold my own

Gone is the wind, the air grows stale
Without you here, I'm doomed to fail
Without you, there is only strife
I need you here, your breath of life

Gone is the joy, the world is bleak
And there's no laughter when I speak
Unhappy, where are fun and glee
I miss you so, come back to me

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on September 19th

We loaded up the horses and left. Neriel was again stuffed inside Ilzo’s sack and securely fastened to Marvin. Va’lyndra led the way, with Leopold discussing navigation with her when she returned from scouting ahead. We couldn’t travel by road, not with what was clearly a kidnap victim, but Va’lyndra promised she was taking the most direct route to Olivia. Leopold took out his measuring devices during breaks. He used the artifact looking like balance scales to measure the local Chaos level, and I think the arrow-through-a-disk artifact somehow told him where he was. I stayed out of his way when he got all sciency. In the evening, Va’lyndra and Ilzo left to do their “dance” in the woods.


Thoughts on September 20th

Even though Olivia’s caravan had a good head start, Va’lyndra and Leopold thought we would catch up with them long before Urdon. The caravan followed the road that curved along the river, and was going slowly compared to us. We cut straight across the plains and made good speed since Olivia had most of our baggage.


Thoughts on September 21st

The hunger took me this morning, during my watch. I tried my luck on Neriel, but he was completely unresponsive, at least to my advances. He glared contemptuously at me, but that was nothing new. I stripped and transformed before ducking into Va’lyndra’s tent. Initially, she didn’t mind being woken by a naked Fabian, but when she realized I wasn’t Ilzo, she threw me out. I transformed back into my female form and woke Ilzo. Drowsy, he asked if it was his turn at the watch again. I ignored the question and continued to gently caress his cheek.

Suddenly, Ilzo’s eyes widened and he grabbed me and used my body as a shield against the immense amount of water that magically manifested above us. I screamed and fled past Va’lyndra, who stood just outside Ilzo’s tent, pointing inside with a magic staff. I snagged my clothes off the ground and heard something wet slap against Va’lyndra. Ilzo bellowed that Va’lyndra and I were cursed. Frost sprouted on every surface around me, but Va’lyndra’s spell didn’t affect me, and she hurled elvish profanities after me when I ducked inside my own tent. If I ever had any doubts about her and Ilzo being an item, those were washed away now.

Leopold woke because of all the commotion, and asked Walter what happened. Walter had been positioned to watch Neriel, and said that he hadn’t seen our prisoner doing anything special. He had heard noises coming from Va’lyndra’s and then Ilzo’s tent when I went inside them. Ilzo kept shouting at Va’lyndra that she was spelled, that she had to break free, but she told him she was fine. Ilzo was convinced that I was still cursed, but Va’lyndra explained that this was something Olivia usually helped me with. Ilzo didn’t understand, and asked Leopold to explain. Mortified, I tried not to listen to their conversation, but focused on drying myself off and putting on my clothes again.

The shock of the cold water had chased away the hunger, and I slunk out of my tent after a while. I apologized to Va’lyndra and Ilzo. Ilzo didn’t understand what I’d done wrong, and it was so difficult to explain, I just broke down and sobbed that I missed Olivia.

I told my companions that they had to tie me up, but Leopold admitted that none of them could make knots that I couldn’t get out of. Va’lyndra pointed out that she and Leopold could shape wood and stone, respectively, to make bonds for me, but she didn’t want to do that. What if we were attacked? Ilzo suggested traveling day and night until we found Olivia, but Leopold and Va’lyndra explained that this would kill the horses.

I kept the hunger at bay while we traveled, but when we stopped in the evening to make camp, I asked again to be tied up. Could they do it in a way that would be comfortable enough that I’d manage to sleep? Va’lyndra reiterated that this was unsafe. But what if she made a cage for me, large enough that I could have my weapons with me? Then I could shoot at any approaching danger. As I was still part of the watch roster, I got a pile of small stones with me, to throw at the others’ tents to wake them quietly, if that was needed.


Thoughts on September 22nd

I remained in control of myself all day, but I still had Va’lyndra make another cage for me when we stopped for the day.


Thoughts on September 23rd

Riding in front of Ilzo, Leopold and Neriel so I wouldn’t see as many tempting sights, I managed to keep the hunger from seizing control. Beautiful Va’lyndra scouted ahead as usual, so I didn’t see her too often. I got in some acrobatics practice in the saddle to keep my mind off her delectable figure when she came back.


Thoughts on September 24th

I lost control again this morning during my watch, but thankfully, I was locked up in a wooden cage. I tried cutting my way out with Scorchmark, but the bars suddenly grasped after my hands and the entire cage shrank. I tried my best to force it open, but the cage only reverted to its original state, sans cutting marks. It had to be Va’lyndra who shaped the cage, but I didn’t see her. That was perhaps for the best, and I managed to calm down on my own. Neither Va’lyndra nor I mentioned the incident again.


Thoughts on September 25th

I tried to cut free again this morning, but both Va’lyndra and Leopold noticed and got me to calm down. Leopold suggested I give up the knife, so I handed it to him. I warned him that it was still attuned to me, so if they needed to, they could release it, and it would find its own way back to my hand.


Thoughts on September 26th

Ilzo and Va’lyndra had gone away to “dance” last night, like they did most evenings, and I couldn’t get them out of my head, sitting alone in my cage. I tried to summon Scorchmark, but Leopold realized what I was doing and came out to see if I was all right. I told him that he could go back to bed again if he fetched Ilzo. “You’re going to feel awful afterwards, if I do. What do you think Olivia would say?” “She’ll forgive me; go fetch Ilzo!” I nearly choked up saying those words, but the hunger forced them out. Leopold just returned to his tent, so I began gnawing at the cage. A hailstorm broke loose inside the cage, so I hid under my blanket. I regained control while being pummeled by Va’lyndra’s spell.

When we continued our travel, Va’lyndra said that we were approaching the Bewitched Forest. Leopold calculated that we were ahead of Olivia’s caravan, so I could travel back along the road to find her if I wanted. I thought it would be best to remain here with the others, watching the road for her arrival. I was in control now, but didn’t trust myself among people. The first person I encountered would be in for a very pleasant surprise. It would be better than sleeping with Ilzo, but I wanted to keep my promise to myself and remain chaste until Olivia arrived.

We found a good place to camp, half an hour from the road. Va’lyndra and Ilzo would watch the road during the day, since the caravan wasn’t traveling by night. Leopold made stone prisons for Neriel and me.


Thoughts on September 27th

I was let out for meals, which we brought to the road. In retrospect, that was foolish. At lunch, I hit on Ilzo, right in front of Va’lyndra. When she glared at me, I proposed she joined in. I told her I could change into Fabian if she preferred. She just sighed heavily and walked away. Leopold asked if I thought this was a good idea. I moaned yes while continuing to mess about with Ilzo. Leopold left too. Ilzo was clearly into the whole affair, so I regretfully went all the way with him, and we kept it going for hours before my hunger receded.

Ilzo said this was nice, and would like a repeat performance. Orcs don’t seem to grasp the concept of monogamy. I found Leopold and told him to lock me up until Olivia got here. I begged him to ask Va’lyndra to keep Ilzo away when I had to be let out to relieve myself. I didn’t see Va’lyndra or Ilzo again before dark. Leopold kept me company at mealtimes, and I practiced contortion the rest of the day.


Thoughts on September 28th

I was raving mad most of the day. Part of me wanted to break out and jump Ilzo again; part of me wanted to die.

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on September 29th

Ilzo, having the first watch at the road, came back to camp to inform us that a squad of soldiers had passed on horseback. He didn’t think they saw him. Leopold said the soldiers had nothing to do with us, or if they had, we didn’t want to meet them. Ilzo went back to watch the road.

Va’lyndra went out to have a midday meal with him and relieve him for the second watch. They came back with Olivia, so Leopold let me out of my prison cell. I was overjoyed that my wife was back, but that sensation didn’t last long when I recalled what I had done. I drew Scorchmark and found a gap in my leather armor, but I couldn’t make myself drive the blade home. My hand trembled violently, and the spasms spread to the rest of me, making me collapse in a fountain of tears.

Olivia asked what was wrong, and Leopold told her I missed her so much, I had sex with Ilzo, right when we were having lunch. Olivia looked at me with shock and disbelief, but she saw the truth of the statement in my misery. With a shaking hand, I offered up Scorchmark to her. I didn’t have the will to take my own life, but that felt right; Olivia should be the one to punish me. She ran. I melted into a puddle.

When the trembling subsided and I had cried myself out, I got up and began looking for Olivia in the woods. I called her name in desperation, but she was nowhere to be found. I searched for hours and hours. At one point, I realized I was losing track of where I was, but that didn’t matter. If I didn’t find Olivia, I didn’t want to go back to the others.

Even after it got dark, I continued searching and calling for Olivia. Va’lyndra and Ilzo found me and asked me to come back with them. I said I wouldn’t go until I found Olivia, and they told me Olivia had returned to the camp. She had seen me searching, but didn’t want to be found. I got Va’lyndra to point me in the direction of the camp, and dashed off.

Even in the dark, I outpaced Ilzo and Va’lyndra. I ran for a long time, and suddenly came upon the road. I must have missed the camp, so I turned to the east and followed the road until I saw the lights from the caravanners’ camp. Then I turned right again and back into the woods. Some time later, I was back on the road. I had to have gone in circles. I gave up and fell asleep crying in the ditch.


Thoughts on September 30th

An unidentified noise in the distance woke me a couple of hours later. I was freezing cold, so I bounced up and began moving to regain some warmth. I walked in the direction I believed I had heard the noise, which coincidentally was along the road, but I found nothing, so after half an hour, I turned back. After another hour, I saw the lights from the caravan camp and turned off the road, towards where I thought our camp lay. I didn’t find it and wandered around until Va’lyndra and Ilzo found me again. “Can we go back to Olivia now?” I asked timidly.

Olivia was just getting up when we got back to camp. She looked as haggard as I felt. She was usually so understanding, so forgiving, but now I had gone and done the only inexcusable deed I could conceive. I fell to my knees in front of her and tried to convey how desperately sorry I was for betraying her as I had. I blamed the hunger for taking control of my body. I blamed Va’lyndra and Leopold for walking away. I blamed Ilzo for not walking away. I blamed myself for my weakness. Nothing helped. Olivia was hard as a rock, standing over me with her arms crossed and with disgust in her eyes.

When I had no more words, Olivia huffed and walked over to the horses. I followed and watched while she brushed them all down. I would have liked to help, however I could, but Olivia glared at me whenever I came near.

Leopold informed me that Ilzo had found bandits in the forest and wanted to go beat them up. He asked if I wanted to watch over Olivia and Neriel while he, Va’lyndra and Ilzo went to reconnoiter the bandit camp. I asked Olivia for permission, but she only gave a grunt. That would have to do. I loved her too much to leave her alone where goblins or boogeymen might find her.

The others headed out. When Olivia was done with the horses, she sank down on the ground and began to cry. I was with her in the blink of an eye and tried to hold her. She glared at me annoyedly, but didn’t demand my withdrawal. This wasn’t the joyful reunion I had expected. Far from it, but at least Olivia was back in my arms now. I tried to engage Olivia in conversation, when her tears had dried up. I asked how her time with the caravan had been, but she didn’t answer. Eventually, I gave up and just held her.

Ilzo, Va’lyndra and Leopold returned with unfinished business. Ilzo was irritated that he didn’t get to fight, but the other two thought going up against thirty bandits was too risky. Leopold reminded Ilzo that he had a temple arena waiting for him in Urdon. Ilzo lit up and joined in the preparations for departure.

We rode through the woods, paralleling the road. Va’lyndra scouted a path for us. We made camp early, for I hadn’t slept much last night, and Ilzo not at all, and we were exhausted. Olivia prepared dinner for everyone except Ilzo. He only got flat stares of hatred and had to make his own meal. Olivia made it clear that I wasn’t allowed inside her tent, so I took my blankets and lay down outside it to guard her.


Thoughts on October 1st

The ride through the Bewitched Forest continued. Around midday, Va’lyndra whistled the signal meaning “be careful”, so I readied my bow while we proceeded with caution. The horses became skittish when we neared what Va’lyndra had found. There were bones and intestines hanging from the trees. Va’lyndra warned us that something large and dangerous was nearby. Not that I had any desire to put her in danger, but if I managed to save Olivia from it, maybe she would talk to me again? Va’lyndra asked Ilzo to help her look for tracks. They found several sets, and determined that trolls had made them. Ilzo hoped that these weren’t of the exploding variety that we had fought before.

Va’lyndra said we could either try to sneak away, or we could be proactive and try to track down the trolls. If we did, Leopold could try to speak with them, and then the rest of us could save him when it didn’t work. We chose to try to avoid the trolls instead. We also agreed on double watches at night. That meant longer rests, but safer.

The troll tracks went south, but we were heading west. Trolls have very sharp noses, but the wind blew northwards, so we should be safe, at least from the ones who had been here. An idea occurred to me before we left, and I had Va’lyndra show me the tracks. If memory served, these tracks were similar to those we had found when Olivia and I charted the territory between Urdon and Garuk, with Lady Karita, Kine and Magnar. We hadn’t known what had left those tracks at the time. Perhaps it was trolls.

An hour or so later, we discovered an empty troll camp with more animal remains. At least I hoped it was animals. Va’lyndra estimated that the trolls had left at least one full day ago.

In the evening, I declared that I was keeping watch with Leopold. Each pair should have one archer and one with dark vision. Since spending the night with Ilzo was completely out of the question, that meant I had to keep watch with Leopold. This division also meant that each pair would have a melee fighter. Leopold and I took first watch, which allowed Va’lyndra and Ilzo to go dancing. I envied them and cast longing glances at Olivia’s tent.


Thoughts on October 2nd

I asked if it would be safe to keep Neriel at the knowledge guild outside Urdon. Va’lyndra and Leopold weren’t so sure about that, and thought we should keep him away from everyone, at least initially. Leopold said that Karl Morgenstern had first claim on the Seral, anyway.

Va’lyndra found troll tracks several times during the day, and warned us to keep our eyes open. Leopold suggested that we cut down our rests at night, and instead catch up on our sleep when we came out of their territory. Nobody argued.


Thoughts on October 3rd

Nothing happened during the night, and Va’lyndra didn’t find any more troll tracks. We still wanted to have double watches and short rest tonight. Va’lyndra and Ilzo went dancing again.

I wanted to help Olivia in every way I could, but she refused my aid when at all possible, which meant most times except when she mounted or dismounted Bluebell. Her silent treatment was killing me, but I understood so well. My heinous betrayal justified any punishment she wanted to dole out. I eyed hope for us, though. Olivia didn’t look at me with hatred the way she did Ilzo. There was only sadness and disappointment in her face.

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on October 4th

We encountered nothing while we rode through the woods, but I wouldn’t have noticed anyway. Olivia had begun speaking to me again! We didn’t speak of anything personal or intimate, but just hearing her voice again was blissful, and it made me feel needs. We settled in for a longer rest tonight, not long enough for me to catch up on missed sleep, but long enough that I wouldn’t have to go deeper into the basement. I overheard Olivia mention to Va’lyndra that I was so tired it might not be safe to go on as we had the last few nights. That warmed my heart, but I was still relegated to blankets under the autumn sky. Even though I felt my hunger rising, I was too exhausted to act on it.


Thoughts on October 5th

The journey towards Urdon continued. In the evening, Olivia informed me I was allowed inside our tent again after my watch, on the condition that there was to be no hanky-panky. She was still mad at me and disappointed at my betrayal.


Thoughts on October 6th

We decided to go back to single watches tonight. Since Leopold can’t be trusted to remain focused alone, Va’lyndra, Ilzo and I divided the night between us. I really missed having Olivia for company on the watch, but everyone thought that she should get as much rest as possible, in her condition. Her belly had grown considerably since we split up in Surd, nearly a month ago.


Thoughts on October 7th

Va’lyndra declared that we were only half a day away from Urdon, and suggested that someone remained here with Neriel. Leopold thought that we should go a closer to town, in case Karl Morgenstern wanted to come and have a look at our captive. Va’lyndra asked Leopold if he had begun to make sense of Neriel’s book. While he had made some progress, the scholar informed us that he still couldn’t decipher the foreign language.

We rode on, until we were about two hours outside Urdon. Olivia wanted a real bed again, and I couldn’t blame her. I wanted one, too, and I had noticed how difficult it was for her to sleep comfortably on the ground. Leopold decided to go with us, so we wouldn’t get lost. I told him there was no chance of that, now that I had Olivia at my side again. Leopold asked if Olivia had learned navigation all of a sudden, but I told him that wasn’t the point.

While the three of us rode towards the town, we agreed to have Leopold compose a letter to Karl where we invited him to talk to us. Exiting the Bewitched Forest, we followed the Surd road the last stretch. The huge army camp that had been outside the town when we were here last had shrunk. From about a thousand occupants, it now only held perhaps forty soldiers.

The gate guards recognized me, of course, and wished us welcome back to Urdon. I thought they looked less scruffy now than before, perhaps prouder. We found our way to the Golden Swan inn, where one of the maids asked if I was going to perform tonight. “Yes, of course,” I replied by instinct. I should have asked Olivia, but when I looked at her, the stern look on her face couldn’t hide her pride. The innkeeper said we could have a room for free as long as I performed in the common room in the evenings. It was a decent room, very nice, actually, even though it weren’t a suite like we had gotten used to in Surd. Of course, in Surd we paid for our rooms.

We unpacked our stuff, and I helped Olivia take a bath. I took one myself, after. Olivia’s belly had grown too big for the two of us to bathe together, even had she allowed it. Olivia said I smelled nice, now that I didn’t reek of orc anymore. We lay down on the bed to relax. Olivia sighed with relief when she had propped up her belly with pillows. I lay in front of her and held her hand. We didn’t say much, and I fell asleep. Olivia woke me when it was time to go downstairs to perform.


Thoughts on October 8th

Olivia asked if we were staying long in Urdon. I told her it depended on what Karl said. I assumed Leopold had sent his letter yesterday, but we hadn’t heard of any reply, so Olivia declared that she wanted to go to the book store. I wasn’t sure they would have something like that in a small town like Urdon, but I escorted her along the streets. Olivia knew where to go, and spent quite some time browsing the shelves.

We met Leopold back at the inn, and he told us that he had received a reply from Karl Morgenstern, who invited us over for brunch tomorrow. Olivia took a seat in the common room to delve into her books. I stayed nearby in case she needed anything, practicing contortion while balancing a chair on two legs. The room wasn’t set up for the grand movements of acrobatics at the moment, and I didn’t feel like asking the staff for favors. They did prepare the room for my performance in the afternoon, though. I had performed here often enough that they knew how I wanted it. I hadn’t noticed it when we came in after the shopping, but I was pretty sure the innkeeper had put up my sign again.


Thoughts on October 9th

Olivia didn’t want to come to brunch with Karl Morgenstern. I was loath to leave her alone again, but she knew I had to go when she declined the invitation, so I assumed she knew what she was doing. I met Leopold downstairs, and we headed out.

It was a butler who opened the door, and he was surprised that we were only two. He showed us to a room with a decked table on one side and a lounge on the other. He told a maid to clear away some of the plates, and us to wait on the sofa.

Karl Morgenstern came after half an hour and welcomed us. He had begun to wonder where we were, for we had been gone for quite some time. I explained that we had been all the way to Fort Glory. Karl had already heard about my tour, and I told him it was a cover for our investigations.

After the meal, we went to the high human’s office and talked business. Karl asked if we had found the evidence he wanted. Leopold answered that Ilzo and Va’lyndra held a Seral captive in the forest east of the town. I added that getting information out of the Seral proved difficult. “Does it help that this Seral was a government advisor in Surd when we kidnapped him?” Leopold asked.

Leopold and Karl discussed what little we had extracted from Neriel. Leopold also explained what research he had done and said he had written an article about it. Karl thought this could be the evidence he needed, and wanted to see the article. Leopold had a copy which he had forgotten to bring from the inn. I offered to fetch it, but Leopold asked how I would know which of his papers to get. He had a point there, but Karl said he could send a courier to get it in the afternoon.