A Matter of Diplomacy
Jun. 13th, 2018 10:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
etherialFrom the Journal of Jik'escala, T'Skrang Swordswoman Extraordinaire:
2 Sollus, 1423 T.H.
The Great Library has hired us to investigate signs of Civilization on the Eastern Shore of the Mid-Reach found by a previous adventuring party. We were able to book passage on the X'Egirathla II and I look forward to several days of idleness and bathing onboard.
6 Sollus
My Niall has dropped us off on the shore and is continuing on to Syrtis for trade. Dubhan has quite the hangover from all the "forced" drinking he participated in on the trip.
8 Sollus
Having cut a swath through the jungle, we arrived at a glowing orange crystal sitting in the base of a ruined tower. We believed it might be a shard of a Kaer Crystal and approached cautiously. At first it appeared friendly, claiming to be a wish-granting crystal. I was lured in closer by its charming humming, otherwise I would have recognized it immediately as a Crystal Entity.
We tried to speak with it, to learn the history of the Kaers nearby, but it kept offering me more and more (and creepier and creepier) enhancements. In the vicinity was a Human Troubadour of Kaer Ogden Named Alsya, the last of her adventuring party.
To my horror, the entity bathed me in its strange orange light and crystal began to grow in my arms, doubling my Strength. Blaethynn and I charged to attack it, but it smote him in a single round and I sounded the retreat. The shards that struck Blaethynn refused to leave and he was cursed with unceasing pain, but his knowledge of Curses proved sufficient and he was able to remove them. The Horror's grip on me, however, was too strong.
We fled into the nearby woods to recover, but the Horror's influence on me continued. It whispered in my ear and grew crystals in my eyes to replace my natural vision with its lies. I knew I did not have long for the world and sought to regain my honor. There was a cave where Alsya had tracked her friends, and she believed that they had succumbed to the Horror's influence as well. If we could vanquish them before the Horror truly had control over me, perhaps that would be enough.
9 Sollus
We enter the cave. With any luck, we'll be able to destroy the minions of that horrible thing before I join them. The thought of what happens next, however, does not please me.
9 Sollus (continued)
Within the cave, we found the rest of Alsya's companions. Dead on the floor were four former Adepts, deformed as I was by the Crystal Entity's "gifts". Pacing above them was a gaunt Ork, a Nethermancer Named Rikund. Rikund barely held any grip on his sanity, but relayed the story of how his friends took their own lives to prevent the Crystal Entity from enslaving them, imbuing their "enhancements" with a Dying Act that would allow us to spend their life energy defeating the thing.
We formed a line and charged the damned thing, Blaethynn and Alsya carving a path for us. Empowered by the Dying Act of Ogden's adventurers, I cleaved a hunk off of it with Honorable Defender. Dubhan and Durgin expended their charms as well, rivening the thing and causing its glow to cease forever. The crystals within me broke up, causing great pain but mercifully relieving me of the Entity's enhancements without destroying my arms or my vision.
We sent a report to Alsya's superiors with her and set course back home to Throal.
PCs:
Blaethynn, male Windling Weaponsmith
Dubhan Goronich, male Dwarf Wizard
Durgin Trotter, male Dwarf Troubadour
Jik'escala, female T'Skrang Swordmaster
NPCs:
Alsya, female Human Troubadour
Rikund, male ork Nethermancer
2 Sollus, 1423 T.H.
The Great Library has hired us to investigate signs of Civilization on the Eastern Shore of the Mid-Reach found by a previous adventuring party. We were able to book passage on the X'Egirathla II and I look forward to several days of idleness and bathing onboard.
6 Sollus
My Niall has dropped us off on the shore and is continuing on to Syrtis for trade. Dubhan has quite the hangover from all the "forced" drinking he participated in on the trip.
8 Sollus
Having cut a swath through the jungle, we arrived at a glowing orange crystal sitting in the base of a ruined tower. We believed it might be a shard of a Kaer Crystal and approached cautiously. At first it appeared friendly, claiming to be a wish-granting crystal. I was lured in closer by its charming humming, otherwise I would have recognized it immediately as a Crystal Entity.
We tried to speak with it, to learn the history of the Kaers nearby, but it kept offering me more and more (and creepier and creepier) enhancements. In the vicinity was a Human Troubadour of Kaer Ogden Named Alsya, the last of her adventuring party.
To my horror, the entity bathed me in its strange orange light and crystal began to grow in my arms, doubling my Strength. Blaethynn and I charged to attack it, but it smote him in a single round and I sounded the retreat. The shards that struck Blaethynn refused to leave and he was cursed with unceasing pain, but his knowledge of Curses proved sufficient and he was able to remove them. The Horror's grip on me, however, was too strong.
We fled into the nearby woods to recover, but the Horror's influence on me continued. It whispered in my ear and grew crystals in my eyes to replace my natural vision with its lies. I knew I did not have long for the world and sought to regain my honor. There was a cave where Alsya had tracked her friends, and she believed that they had succumbed to the Horror's influence as well. If we could vanquish them before the Horror truly had control over me, perhaps that would be enough.
9 Sollus
We enter the cave. With any luck, we'll be able to destroy the minions of that horrible thing before I join them. The thought of what happens next, however, does not please me.
9 Sollus (continued)
Within the cave, we found the rest of Alsya's companions. Dead on the floor were four former Adepts, deformed as I was by the Crystal Entity's "gifts". Pacing above them was a gaunt Ork, a Nethermancer Named Rikund. Rikund barely held any grip on his sanity, but relayed the story of how his friends took their own lives to prevent the Crystal Entity from enslaving them, imbuing their "enhancements" with a Dying Act that would allow us to spend their life energy defeating the thing.
We formed a line and charged the damned thing, Blaethynn and Alsya carving a path for us. Empowered by the Dying Act of Ogden's adventurers, I cleaved a hunk off of it with Honorable Defender. Dubhan and Durgin expended their charms as well, rivening the thing and causing its glow to cease forever. The crystals within me broke up, causing great pain but mercifully relieving me of the Entity's enhancements without destroying my arms or my vision.
We sent a report to Alsya's superiors with her and set course back home to Throal.
PCs:
Blaethynn, male Windling Weaponsmith
Dubhan Goronich, male Dwarf Wizard
Durgin Trotter, male Dwarf Troubadour
Jik'escala, female T'Skrang Swordmaster
NPCs:
Alsya, female Human Troubadour
Rikund, male ork Nethermancer