Diary of Gallanor Orren: Entry 34

Dear Journal,

We find ourselves again safely camping in the depths of the Luminous Body after a victorious celebration among the peoples of Big Root. Now that we have faced down and defeated a monster of inconceivable horror, the portal to Elwoz's homeland is closed, and we will depart for the Feywild after the others have slept.

We left our hosts in the morning to track down the spirit linked to Koba's sinister implement of bone. Pointed in the general direction of the boneyard, we trekked for many miles, leaving the swampland for a dusty and hilly stretch of arid land. Thankfully, this mostly barren landscape allowed Alyana's keen eyes to detect a large figure tearing across the earth in our direction.

Not too far ahead, we came upon a narrow ravine which was directly in the figure's path. We decided to take cover here and face whatever it was when it met us. Fortunately for us, Alyana was able to see that it was, in fact, the boneyard itself, raised up as a terrible monstrosity which slithered towards us at great speed. Surely this creature would have ravaged the people of Big Root had we not been there.

Diesa devised an ingenious plan of ambush for our foe. Talos laid traps at the bottom of the ravine made from explosive concoctions found after previous skirmishes. I beckoned to the land to send me a messenger with which I could trust a message of warning to the people of Big Root. From the dusty recessed spouted a curious little insect which Elwoz reverently referred to as the "panda mantis." I whispered to him a message to the people of Big Root, that they should take up arms and prepare themselves if we fail in our attempt to subdue the beast.

Through cooperation and a visit from the arcane and ghostly hand, we determined it was in our best interest to focus our divine energy upon the monster, and the ghastly bone totem Elwoz wielded would be of critical importance. It was evident that this was no natural beast, and that if incapacitated, would most likely rise up again if the magical energy within it was not extinguished.

So we lied in wait for the monster, hiding in nooks and sparse foliage until it caught itself up in our brilliant traps. We lashed out mercilessly against the monster, which shrieked and hissed with every volley of divine magic we assailed it with.

I should point out that I saw a nearby peacock strutting about before our ambush. I did not ignore the signs. This was an omen from The Divine. How right it was, too, for we cast spells and chanted incantations upon the beast which left lingering and debilitating effects upon it. We burned and prodded it while it swung its bony tendrils futilely at the angelic warrior I again summoned to battle beside us.

How desperately I wished to have Without here with us, to turn this undead abomination into a harmless fish or a bleating sheep for our amusement!

Before he struck the blow which laid the beast down into a bony pile, Elwoz held out the bone totem as his eyes rolled back and he spoke a curious riddle in a voice not his own.

As the beast dropped, his enormous skull still teemed with undead energy. We knew time was of the essence. After arguing for many moments, it was I which deciphered Elwoz's channeled riddle and, taking the totem myself, struck the skull in both of its eye sockets. With a chilling and defeated moan, the defiled presence receded, and a beautiful ring fell from the depths of the skull which Elwoz rightly claimed for felling the beast. The totem, too, he took, as the vile energy it held was also gone, and a new, primal magic within seemed to have awakened.

We returned to a shaken Big Root, which was expecting a terrible battle. The thankful people praised Elwoz as the rightful chief and savior of the region. It was as an act of celebration that Elwoz and Talos commemorated our success with tattoos from the tribe's master body-artists. After a night of feasting and song, a portal back to the Luminous Body appeared, beckoning us to return to our quest.

So now we rest, eager though I am to return to my homeland, that of the gentle Fey. It will be a warm and comforting feeling to be among my people once again, and to set foot in the grand city I was never able to visit. We are destined, no doubt, to meet some vile threat here, as the portal shows wicked creatures of the Feydark prowling the splendid streets of our most cherished city.

Whatever the threat, I am confident that the Divines, which have watched over us for so long, will bless us and ensure our victory.

Diary of Gallanor Orren: Entry 33

Dear Journal,

Morale is surprisingly high at the moment, in spite of yesterday's failings. I suppose it is due to today's success and the warmth and hospitality of Elwoz's people. We are in Big Root, a vast area of swamps and marshes which are home to a nomadic tribe of various folk. Never before, save for the streets of Merkemia, have I seen such an assortment of races living together in peace. Shifters, fey, orcish, and human folk here behave as one people, wary of outsiders and protective of their land.

Our arrival, however, was anything but pleasant. As we stepped through the portal to this land, we found ourselves in complete darkness, submerged in filthy water in the dead of night, surrounded by a thick fog. The putrid stench of still swamp water, though completely natural, left all but Elwoz scrambling for solid ground, while gagging from the rancid odor.

We shook off the muck as best we could and set out into the darkness, Elwoz's questionable sense of direction being the only guide. Silently, for Elwoz warned us of dangerous swamp donkeys, we crept between the trees, at the best of times submerged only to our ankles in the mud.

Eventually our silence paid off. The telltale sign of Alyana freezing in her tracks and crouching low told us that she had heard something. Whispering only "voices", she silently disappeared into the fog as we waited motionlessly for her return. When she reappeared, she told us of several half-orcs and gnomes gathered nearby, and described their attire. This put Elwoz at ease, for he recognized them to be members of the Order of the Summer's Shield, a collection of nature's wardens whose mission is to preserve the wild lands and defend them from any threats.

Unfortunately for us, the Summer's Shield were not very welcoming of our shaman friend. The shaman cheiftain in Elwoz's absense, Koba, had been hard at work tarnishing Elwoz's name. There has been turmoil in Big Root since Elwoz's departure, and Koba had convinced the tribesmen that it was a curse set upon them by a crooked and corrupted Elwoz. A half-orc met Elwoz as we approached and accused him of all manner of treachery, claiming he now returned with his own personal henchmen to sabotage Big Root and bring about further calamity.

With that, two gnomes wielding battle axes charge Talos, swinging wildly. Only one managed to land a glancing blow, thoroughly annoying our paladin. Feeling a bit indignant at being called a henchman, and not at all eager to slaughter these poor, misinformed creatures, I stepped forward to address the orcish spokesman of this band, tossing my sword to the ground as a show of my desire to talk our problems out. The brute failed to recognize the religious insignias that Talos, Deisa, and I carried upon our person, and began to accuse me of trickery and evil magic. This was the last straw.

I warned him that a battle with us is a battle against both the forces of nature and the gods themselves. When he claimed I knew nothing of nature, I gave him a little demonstration. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the world around me. I spoke with the trees, the muck, and the croaking toads, and the buzzing insects. A dense cloud formed around me, and at once the lights of thousands of strange lightning bugs flickered on as they flew out from around me, slapping and stinging the warden, filling his nose and mouth. In his flailing and fighting, the simpleton struck himself about the body with sword and shield, nearly killing himself. Fortunately for us, this convinced the Summer's Shield that we were in communion with the natural forces and not a threat.

They told us that we would not find Koba if we continued our path to the Big Root encampment. Koba had embarked upon a vision quest, so he said, to devise a way to cleanse the swamps and defeat Elwoz's evil magic. Our best bet was to head south, but they did now know where he would be.

On our long journey south, we trudged through mud and slime until we came to a runic circle over which hovered a maggot-covered corpse. Knowing there isn't a goodly force in all creation which would require this kind of spectacle, we immediately set upon the circle with full force. Sure enough, the maggots took shape to form a disgusting mage who called several wrights to flank us. I almost feel sorry for the undead which face us. As always, these abominations were quickly and mercilessly dispatched, though Diogi suffered serious injury which required our attention.

We pressed on as the muck began to feel more soupy. Elwoz noted that this swamp water was unusually dirty, like sewage. Suddenly, we came to a row of thick vegetation which Alyana and I gazed over by scaling a nearby tree.

An eccentrically-dressed shaman, much like Elwoz, but human, stood in a raised clearing, shaking a totem stick made of bone as he chanted and danced. Around him, several winged demons were busy pushing barrels of putrid liquid into the swamp.

Elwoz recognized this figure as Koba, and was enraged that he would participate in such vile destruction. Joining with our comrade, we scaled the vegetation and charged in to battle.

Koba summoned an ethereal gnoll spirit, much like Getty, which seemed to bolster his power.

The battle was further complicated by the arrival of a vicious and angry nature-spirit which lashed out at us and the demons alike. It was as it was foreseen in the portal vision. Nature itself had awakened and was quite upset with the goings-on.

We found hard as Koba stubbornly clung to life, siphoning healing energy from the World Serpent, as Elwoz explained it. I called upon the angelic forces of Avandra to aid us, and was again blessed with the arrival of an angelic warrior. Together, we turned the tide of the battle and Talos was able to slay the treacherous Koba, allowing us to focus our attention at the wild beast which remained.

Though we were badly beaten and Talos nearly drowned, we managed to defeat the monstrosity. Elwoz warned, however, that nature was still angry, and our troubles were not over. To some degree, Koba's plot had been foiled, so it was decided to travel to Elwoz's village to tell them the news and search for more answers.

Amongst the destruction, we were able to find a scroll case with strange abyssal writing which Diesa translated as a corrupting ritual which was being cast upon the swamps. It also noted that the bone totem Elwoz was now inspecting was bound to a terrible spirit.

Before we left, Elwoz assisted me in a ritual to invoke rampant plant growth in the area. This, we believed, would help to counter the corruption already brought upon the area.

We are now in the care of Ash and Thorn of Big Root. These two halfling friends of Elwoz's listened to and believed our words of Koba's wicked acts and gave us shelter for the night. They also spoke of a boneyard, which Elwoz recalled, where might hold the spirit bound to the bone totem. Tomorrow we shall embark on a journey to the boneyard, to disperse the cloud of evil hanging over this land.

Diary of Gallanor Orren: Entry 32

Dear Journal,

What have I done? I had one task. One simple task! Now I must suffer the guilt of seeing Castle Denmok buried in a white sea of snow.

Our hearts guided us to our first portal. Naturally we chose to come to the aid of our friend Corath who appeared to be in immediate and mortal peril. We said our prayers and took the plunge into the Denmok portal, appearing on a balcony of Castle Denmok, formerly Castle Dreknar, hundreds of feet in the air. We quickly barreled into the castle through a large set of ornate double doors which led directly to the throne room.

Here, poised for a fight and listening to the distant cries of battle echoing through the castle walls, stood Corath and Lim'Shargoth, along with a scattered few soldiers, most of which held shut another set of double doors which led into the castle. Something on the other side of the doors was trying to bash their way in.

We told the soldiers to line up on either side of the door and let them swing open. We were here to protect the castle and we elected to face this threat head on. Leading the charge as the doors opened was a rock elemental, tumbling in and flinging rocks and debri in all directions. Following this creature were a few blood fiends and a fearsome glabrezu. As they roared into the room, they must have sensed the ease in which they entered and set upon the waiting soldiers first, cutting them down.

What followed was a very difficult battle. It took a series of failed magical assaults for me to realize we should focus on attacking their weak spirits with soul-penetrating spells. I first unleashed my radiant flames against the glabrezu to no effect.

The stone elemental kept us on our heels, too, as his hardened form repelled the swings of Talos's vicious longsword swings. An assault of stones left my head spinning and Elwoz unconscious for a moment while the others struggled to contain the monsters. As I struggled to regain my composure, I began to call out to the heavens for aid. As if I had been doing it my entire life, I called forth an angelic servant of Corellon to fight beside us. The golden form appeared in a blast of light, stinging the demonic beasts, and immediately setting in against them. Eventually the stone elemental remained, focusing his unforgiving attacks on our helpless shaman, but with our focused efforts and the divine healing magic of Talos, we were able to defeat the monster and help Elwoz regain his senses.

It was apparent that I was the link which held my angelic accomplice to this plane, and could no longer keep him here, so as the stone elemental crumbled to bits upon the marble floor of the throne room, the angel faded away, returning to his divine domain.

Corath and Lim'Shargoth accompanied us as we tore out of the room and through the castle halls, striking down the occasional wandering beast, but we saw through the windows that the fight had poured into the courtyard from various points in the castle.

A frightened soldier passed us on his way to the fray, telling us the creatures seemed to have come from the quarters of someone named Galwaz, presumably the court wizard or another guard, and pointed us in that direction. In Galwaz's room, we came upon a demonic gate in which stood a portal to the abyss. In communion with the arcane spirits and council with Diesa, I determined the only means of closing this portal was from the other side. Sure of myself, I lept through the portal, ready to close it down behind me. The others followed, however, determined to join me in oblivion if it meant saving the Denmok lands. It was a good thing they did, too, for fiendish creatures soon set upon us as I attempted to close the portal.

The usual song of the flowing magic of the planes was silent, though. I was clumsy. I attempted to force the portal closed, but drew a blank. The portal rejected my magical probings, triggering a permanent fissure between the planes. I had failed, and failed miserably.

So we ran. Behind us, the portal unleashed more creatures into this world, but we just ran. Finally we arrived at our portal to the luminous body, but it repelled us before closing up. Corath and Alyana called for an evacuation. The call to retreat echoed throughout the castle until we heard the deep ringing of bells, signalling to the soldiers that it was time to abandon the castle.

Through the hallways we ran. Through the courtyard, between howling beasts and the terrified soldiers, some trembling, some laying wounded, some torn asunder. We ran still through the outlying village, up the mountains which flanked the Denmok capital. As we ran, the abyssal hordes were in tow, and slowly gaining on us. Through careful observation of our surroundings, we were able to create obstacles for our pursuers and find safer footing as we climbed the mountain. Our new plan was to bring the mountain down upon the city, for it was the only way to stop the outpouring of demonic creatures.

For hours we ran. In desperation, I summoned a small sparrow, sending with it a message to summon the airship which brought Corath back from Moraldrum, but it was in vain. For nearly a day later, we topped the mountain range, and Alyana blew hard into her family horn. The avalanche that ensued was a destructive force the likes of which I have never seen. For miles and miles, as far as the eye could see, a wave of white rapidly rushed down the surrounding mountains, filling the valley. Though many of the outlying homes and businesses remained, much of the city and the castle itself was covered, with only its five spires poking out from the thick snowy mound.

As we stood upon the mountain, gazing down at Alyana's ruined kingdom, a portal to the luminous body appeared, though Corath and Lim'Shargoth could not see it. We offered to let them join us, but their inability to see the portal suggested their inability to pass through it as well. We could only tell them to contact Stovokor and Moraldrum, and let them know of the disaster. Perhaps they, too, are under threat, or they could come to Denmok's aid. With that, we left in shame.

We did not speak when we settled down for our rest. I suppose each of us carried the burden of today's events, but it is I who should carry it all. What began as a valiant charge to the aid of our friends ended in a shameful retreat and the destruction of a grand city, and it is all my fault. I know my prophetic gift is at work, leaving me hints of our next journey, but it is drowned out by my sorrow as I look to the portal we took today, now an empty space beneath a small stone arch.

Perhaps this day has not yet happened. Perhaps we will leave this place and return to a utopia. Perhaps this is only a possible future. We do not yet understand the luminous body or how it relates to time or reality. Perhaps this is just wishful thinking, and I have made the first of many mistakes which will inevitably bring about the end of days.

May the gods have mercy on me.