Forgive me, Journal, for I am battered and weakened by today's battle. I fear I haven't much energy to be overly verbose.
As we broke the surface from the tunnels we fought our way through, we found ourselves in the fortress's courtyard. Apparently we had raised enough alarm outside and below, for there was no one at their posts. The ballistas pointed outward, ready for our frontal assault. I am glad we chose the path that we did.
In the courtyard stood a domed building which housed a villainous laboratory. Books, mortar and pestal sets, and furiously scribbled notes were strewn about the room before an immense, spinning orrey. This device, imbued with a powerful magic, assaulted us with powerful arcane blasts. We knew this device must have been feeding power to the tear, so we set out to destroy it.
Diesa, Without, and I used our combined powers to damper the orrey's dark energy, and Corath and Alyana sneaked between its treacherous gears to strike at its inner mechanisms. It was a long and exhausting ordeal, but we emerged victorious, rendering the device useless.
But we were not finished. We felt closer and closer to the Tear with each step. Finding another entrance to the dungeons below, we came upon Malachi's study. We burst in, ready for seek vengeance for his madness.
Using the power of the Tear, Malachi was attempting to cause a dimensional rift, inviting horrors only known to the the depths of the Far Realm.
No force, mundane or divine, could protect Malachi from my vengeance. I was determined to make him pay for his sins. Though Malachi was resourceful in summoning monstrosities from beyond the portal, we focused our attacks on him, striking him down swiftly as his lackeys retreated back into the rift as it flickered closed.
Wrapping the Tear in a cloth, I gave it once last deep stare before I stuffed it into my satchel. One can see that this relic was once a beautiful tribute to the God of Truth. But now it is tainted with great evil. At this distance, I can almost hear it mocking us. It seems to take on a sentience all its own. I know I am being silly, but I could almost swear it was staring back at me. I will carry the burden of this abomination until we see it destroyed. It has taken too much.
Tomorrow I am sure we will find a way out of this place, and find a way to destroy the Tear once and for all. Keep watch over us, my king, and help us to rid the world of this evil.
