(Misnaming and misrepresenting will be a thing in Enialis' diary.)
Davor 11
Lord Longaxe sought me out. He'd heard of my skills with magic and thought I was just the guy he needed to take care of a task he has in mind. He asked me to come by his estates to discuss a job.
That evening he introduced me to a few others he had hired to assist in this task. If we can stand each other then we would find out more about the task the next day at noon.
His kitchens are amazing. My sister's cook has nothing on the Lord Longaxe.
I overheard that evening that we were at least the second group hired by the Lord for this task. The last group did not return.
Davor 12
We had lunch with the Lord today. We are being asked to investigate a valley with some prime wood. It is haunted or something and people who go in do not return.
I asked the Lord how many groups like ours he had previously sent out. We are the third. A single person from the last group partially made it out of the valley. He was covered in tiny cuts and drained of blood.
The valley is a day and a half away. We prepared for a possible encounter with the undead.
The tiefling wanted to wait until it was dark to leave.
Davor 13
We left the city of Kashin a few hours before dawn. We walked all day and reached a cave half a day away from the logging camp. We camped in the cave and the healer fixed my feet from all the blisters. I took last watch.
Davor 14
We left at dawn. Half a day of walking and another heal spell left us at the logging camp. We talked briefly with the loggers. They confirmed that a dozen or so people had arrived and gone into the valley without returning. Mules do return and they do so afraid.
We walked to the valley. There were no animal sounds. The entire valley, all trees, all grass, radiated Transmutation magic. It also radiated evil.
We then walked back to the logging camp and discussed our strategy for investigating the valley. Then we camped.
Davor 15
We entered the valley. The trees are old. The lichen climbs high on the trees. There are no animals or insects here. The plants do not move in accordance with the wind. They move on their own. There are fish in the stream. Dead animals in the area are covered in pin prick holes. Leaves and grass are wilted. Except around the stream there are no bushes. There is no new growth.
The vines in the trees attacked. Their thorns pierced skin and drew blood.
The Elm seems to be a Treant. Possibly a remnant from the Storm Wars.
Beneath the Elm was an arcane relic leftover from the Storm Wars. Sending to Lok Magius for help.
Davor 16 - Trivor 1
Protected loggers while they harvested the prime examples of trees. Ended up killing most of the creeper vines.
Trivor 2 - 3
Walked back from the valley to report to the Lord Long Axe.
Trivor 4 - 18
My parents had asked Lok Magius about me. I made a hurried trip back in order to put in an appearance. Lok Magius covered for me because of the transmutation relic being found and turned over to them. After putting in my appearance, I returned to Kashin.
Trivor 19
A bandit group is inconveniencing loggers. They attacked a smaller logging group. The group happened to have a knight along. The knight fought the bandits off and trailed them back to their camp. The camp appeared to have roughly 40 people. There was a wild man with them. He was scary. There was also a statue that saw the knight and chased him down. Kethra and I remembered a group heading in that direction. It is not a full team, so we should be able to go quicker heading out than the knight did heading back to Kashin.
Trivor 20
We woke up before dawn and hurried to Boulderdash to hitch a ride with the caravan. Ther was some argument about whether we would be travelling with them. Sir Sarios, the previously mentioned knight, quickly established that 'yes we would be accompanying them.' Sarios spends the mule ride sleeping. About an hour before sunset Sarios had the loggers stop so a hasty defensible camp could be setup.
Trivor 21
The lumberjacks are not quite sure where we are going but their mules do. The weather turned dark and it might rain. We crossed a river. The preistess took the opportunity to refresh herself. Her armor caused her to overheat earlier in the day. We made camp to the sounds of thunder rolling down the mountains. The next day will be wet.
Trivor 22
Leucis did something to disturb Sir Sarios and the loggers during the night.
We parted with the mule team early in the morning. They seemed happy to be rid of us. We reached the burnt area a short time later. The burnt area appeared to have a natural origin. Sir Sarios shimmied up a tree and pointed out the remains of a sentinel tree atop a hill where we can see more of the surrounding area.
The encampment was warned to our presences by squirrels. We became a squirrel massacre. We hit the treeline and cut around the burned area. We found ourselves on a ledge overlooking the bandit camp. The bandits were splitting into groups of 10 and headed the direction we came from. We were behind them so we attacked the empty camp which still had the statue.
After dispatching the Druid wild man and Statue and running off their few protectors we looked at the pedestal the statue had been standing on. It was a statue dedicated to a woman who had some favor with a druidic sect. The druid had likely taken advantage of that fact to animate the statue with her spirit.
We burned the tents and supplies then fled back up the mountains. after gathering our packs we fled our pursuers.\ We then walked into a group of people with readied crossbows.
The group were the guard of the tax collector. He sent most of his guard to deal with the bandits chasing us. The guard returned with 20 or so bandits as prisoners. The Hearth Lord held a trial. Twelve or so were executed immediately. The rest we were paid 35g to transport back to Kashin for imprisonment.
Trivor 22 - 28
Prisoners transported. 30 of the 35g remained from the transport. We split it 5 ways (including Sir Sarios). Spent Freeze in Boulderdash.
We picked up another traveler for the trip from Boulderdash to Kashin. It is another Tiefling.
Cal 1
Delivered Prisoners. Baron Longaxe invited us to dinner. Depisited a majority of my current earnings (31g 470s) at the Tmeple of Lul (Bank) so it can earn interest and not be stolen from me.
Baron Longaxe had a trusted subordinate killed in a highly suspicious manner. We've been tasked with investigating the murder.
There was shadow magic in the hole as well as other places in the armor. The magic fades from detectibility quickly.
The body appears to have been attacked by a shadow. Claw marks on the face and a hand grab on the arm. Blackness all over. Line across the upper chest. We figured out that the victim, Dash, had been carrying keys to Lord Longaxe's estate and the murder had been to cover their theft. The Baron order us to get to his warehouse nad investigate. We arrived to discover that the warehouse was in the midst of being robbed. We fought and killed the robbers and concluded the investigation.
For concluding the investigation in such a rapid manner the Baron awarded each of us a piece of magical wood that would readily accept enchantments.
Cal 2 - 6
While I was out checking the bandits for Baron Longaxe, an emissary from my parents dropped by Lok Magius. Andrel (an illusionist) covered for my absence by using illusions to make it appear as though I were there in deep study. I made a special trip to Lok Magius to repay this favor. In exchange for the illusions I took the mage in for a personal viewing of the transmutation artifact that the elder elm was protecting and cleansing.
Cal 7
A Brewery handled by one of Baron Longaxe's Knights has not responded in four days. The knight sent to investigate the Brewery found the place completely abandoned. The Knight tried a tankard of Ale and couldn't see himself for two days. He managed to make his way back w/Tankard. The Baron would like us to investigate.
The Fluid in the tankard shows strong signs of Transmutation along with weaker hints of Enchantment and Necromancy. A stick dipped into the fluid had no reaction. A piece of celery shriveled, died, and started smoking.
We booked passage down the river to the Brewery. During the passage, we passed by a swath of forest eaten by Elgenet Beetles. We will have to deal with that on the way back.
Cal 8
We arrived at the Brewery at about 3 in the morning. We found, while investigating the homes around the Brewery, that the first house had lizards. The second house had abandoned clothes at the table. The third house looked like the back wall was blown out. The tankards in the second house contained the same fluid as drank by the knight. The fourth house had vegetable oil(?). The fifth house had a potted plant in a chair, grown down through the chair and through the floor.
In with the Brewing materials there was a tun of wine containing a magic brew. It seems to have been shipped from Aboris through Krimmeath. Leucis unstopped the tun to test the wine. He started growing stiff.
Entering the brewer, the doors were open and it looked like raccoon had been through the admin office. The main brewery was empty. One of the Vats was contaminated with the magic wine. We went down into the aging chamber. There we ran into an Alemental. Leucis, growing ever stiffer, Kethra and Tulia were engulfed by the Alemental. I was slammed backwards against a rack of aging ale. Leucis set the Alemental on fire, which set the building on fire. I climbed out of the aging chamber to attack from high ground with Tyra (the tiefling we picked up at Boulderdash). Leucis, Tulia, and Kethra didn't make it out. Tyra and I ran from the building as it collapsed in flames on the Alemental.
I grabbed the tun of wine from the brewing materials and awaited the next ship back to Kashin so I could deliver the news of the disaster to Baron Longaxe.
Tyra never stopped running.
Cal 9
Travel back to Kashin
Cal 10 - 11
Delivered the news to Baron Longaxe and then took vaction to visit family.
Travel to Lok Magius
Cal 12
Travel to Lok Magius continued.
Arrived at Lok, caught up on current events.
Asked Andrel for a copy of Nystul's Magic Aura. Need to spend time with him working towards melding Illusion and Transmutation. Andrel would like his illusions to have a little more bite to them.
I presented my findings (Transmutation Artifact And Arcanogen [ensorcelled Tun of Wine]) as well as my research into the detect magic telescope. Then I applied for promotion to Thaumaturgist.
Traveled home and talked with Eedee about the deaths of my group and the Alemental as well as my time adventuring.
Cal 13 - 14
Eedee informed Mom and Dad to some degree about my recent loss of companions and brush with death. Mother is incensed.
Cal 15 - 16
Travel back to Kashin.
Cal 17 - 18
Became acquainted with Nix, a wild haired gnome druid (hope she likes squirrels a bit less than the previous wild haired druid I encountered), Eva (a wood elf ranger who is a bit too enamoured with her wolf(s), and Morderain (a cleric inspired by Tulia). My new companions in working for Baron Longaxe.
Cal 19
During evening meal the final member of Longaxe's 'Task Force' arrived. Marcus, a paladin.
He has brought news of a spate of robbers around Kashin that appear to be linked with the Arcanogen I brought back from the Brewery. In a recent robbery, the burglar ran afoul of a trap and left some blood behind at the scene of the crime. Clerics prepared the blood in a special wafer that can be used to identify the thief.
Cal 20
I investigated a possible mage connection at the Lyle house, then I worked at the house to help pay for getting the spell Find Familiar.
Marcus found that all of the houses that were burgled were two story affairs with some sort of interior access on the second story (a balcony, open windows, etc.). He further found that the guard patrol patterns would involve opening those access points for some period of time during the night to check their security.
Cal 21
Another robbery in the night. Marcus went to investigate alone. He found a possible point of egress and came back to get Eva and Kai (Eva's wolf) in order to track the thief if possible. Nix joined as a Wolf.
They found a scent near the place Marcus had identified and tracked it back to a house near the docks. While Eva ran back to Baron Longaxe's estate to get Morderain and I, Marcus and Nix watched the house. Eva arrived and told us that Marcus had the thief, so the three of us go running back to assist Marcus and Nix.
On our arrival Eva goes to the back of the building to assist Nix in preventing possible escape from that direction. Marcus knocked on the front door and a very dapper looking fellow with blonde hair and green eyes answers. He claims to be a gigolo. I cast Detect Magic and his entire body glows with the now familiar signature of the Arcanogen. Using that as confirmation I break the wafer that the clerics prepared and immediately I white light flies out and surrounds this dapper fellow.
I inform him that the light means that he was present at the place and time that one of the robberies occurred. He looks like he is about to flee, so I jump towards him and grapple him so he needs to spend time breaking free of me before he can run. He surrenders and Marcus arrest him and uses rope he has available to tie him up. We escort the fellow back to the nearest guard station, where he is shackled and placed inside a cell.
Since we have the suspect in custody, I leave to get Baron Longaxe. Apparently, shortly after I left, a runner is sent to get the Count in charge of the investigation into the thefts. The baron informs me that, if he truly is the one committing the robberies then take him to the Lyle house and have them rip him apart if that's what it takes.
On the way back I decide to head back to the dapper fellow's house to see if I can't find where the stolen items are being kept.
As I am headed up to the third floor I trigger a trap and become trapped in a net. Since I am alone and have time I begin to cut my way free of the trap. Shortly after I begin cutting myself free I hear someone else enter the house and begin trashing the place in what I believe to be an attempt to rob the place. Desiring not to be caught by the thieves in the net I use acid splash to free myself and am free just as the thieves draw close. I announce to them that I was there first and this place is mine. They laugh at the declaration and advance on me. Desiring to end the fight immediately I empower a magic missile as much as I can and put the lead fellow nearly through a wall and told the remaining thief that I said the place was mine. He takes the hint and runs.
On the third floor I find what appears to be a false wall. Pacing it out the wall is roughly 5 feet closer than it is on the floor below. I spend time trying to figure out how to open the wall, but it isn't working. Eventually Nix, Eva, and Marcus arrive. Marcus questions me about the death of the thief and I claim self defense. I convince the three that there is a hidden void behind that wall, even though it seems solid. Nix get tired of searching for a lever to open the wall and goes to the second floor to bash her way through the floor into the void. Marcus takes that as a hint and begins to cut his way through the false wall. Eventually he reaches what appears to be the masonery protecting the outside of the building and he stops to ensure that we aren't just hacking a hole in the outer wall. There is no hole visible from the outside, so we continue widening the hole. Nix is sent through the small hole to figure out how to open the wall. Inside she discovers that access to the void is through the roof above the bed on the second floor, and that there was a drop blade trap that would have hit anyone who opened the roof without being aware of it. With Nix in the void we discovered many carefully packaged item. They are passed out and a few investigated. We identify a few of the items as ones that had been taken during the recent spate of robberies. We grab a couple of patrolling guards, grab all of the dapper fellows loot, and begin to head back to the guard station that he was being kept at. Unknown to us, the Dapper fellow escaped the guard station as Morderain watched.
As we are traveling to the guard station Morderain appears as we notice a wheelbarrow in one of the alley ways. The strange thing is that the wheelbarrow moves on it's own. With Morderain shouting warnings and not willing to take chances I use acid splash on the wheelbarrow and it starts complaining. As a rule wheelbarrows do not talk. Seeing my attack Morderain closes the distance and lays into the wheelbarrow with her most powerful spell, the attack elicits curses. In very short order the wheelbarrow changes form and becomes a metal skinned version of the dapper man. Morderain continues her attack, Marcus sweeps around behind metal dapper to prevent him from running away, Nix causes vines and grass to grew from the ground and entangle metal dapper, Eva attempts to shoot him with a bow, and I step forward to prevent him from trying to bull his way past us. Normally I want nothing to do with standing in the face of a person with a cutting personality, but everyone else is less willing. Cutting personality cuts me and I see the error of my ways. I eventually convince Morderain to stop trying to hurt it long enough to see to my wounds, and she goes right back into doing her level best to kill metal dapper all by herself.
The fight does not go well. Since Morderain is still very reluctant to step into the breach to prevent his escape I do, and Cutting Personality cuts me again. He cuts me badly enough that I almost die right there. Morderain fortunately decides that I should maybe continue living and heals me again. About this time metal dapper is very injured and tries to run away. We pile on the hurt and in one last attempt to escape dapper triggers a log trap he'd set. The log proceeds to almost knock Morderain unconscious and nearly kills Marcus. Nix causes vines to grow again to prevent dapper from making good his escape and Eva lands the killing blow.
Dapper's loot is cataloged and nearly every item is returned to the person it was stolen from. The only thing left over is a magic dagger that returns to it's owner after being thrown. No one claims it, so Eva demands that it be given to her, despite her embarrassment of riches with regards to weapons she makes an impassioned case that she must be the one to get it because she MIGHT have use of a dagger that returns when thrown. Fortunately for her no one else in the group is likely to ever use it so she is allowed to have it. I am not appreciating her blatant greed.
Clerics arrive and question the corpse. Branded on him is the numeral 5 and his corpse reveals that a female elf experimented on him, told him that the four prior to himself were all dead, and that he was to gather a list of items that he kept in his head.
