Uriel gets a letter (Winter’s
Daughter) Dearest Brother, How unexpectedly awful to hear
from you. It comes as no surprise to learn that your last venture in Korthos
was met with catastrophic failure and fatality. Disaster plagues you. In comparison, my latest
expedition in the Hagwood was met with great success thanks to my tactical and
athletic prowess. Alongside several others including Aidan the rogue, Tirun the
Leonin brute, Gravedigger the cadaverous collector of bones, a Firbolg priest
called Bellas and a noisome fey elf called Nelathrell, we set out to find the
source of these strange dreams plaguing the inhabitants of Hope. We set out
south but were soon set upon by dense fog. Nevertheless, we forged on and soon
recovered our trail. The evening in the mist was
uneventful, except for the fact Nelathrell decided to introduce some poorly
kept spider meat to Bellas’s stew. I could have said something of course but it
was funnier to let gastric carnage unfold. How Lolth’s children punish the
faithless, even in death. In the morning we made our way
further south, eventually arriving at a flooded section of the river bend. In
need of a crossing, I cast one of Tirun’s javelin’s (tied to a length of rope)
into one of the fungal trees on the opposite bank. We forded the river easily
after that. As we approached the focus of the
dreams, a barrow mound in the mushroom forest, we came across a sacrificial
ritual between two drunes and a bound female. They were wearing gold torcs and
so under the pretence of heroism I charged the stone circle. However, as the
battle unfolded it became clear the drunes were no knuckle-dragging cultists.
After they immobilised a few of our number we halted our assault and parleyed.
Yes, I hear you sneering I know what “parley” means. They were making an
offering to some local monstrosity known as the “Chiuk”, some bird fish chimaera
that lives in a lake. Poor Nelathrell couldn’t quite wrap his head around the
concept but as you are aware, blood abates blood. And so we left them to their
ritual. Travelling on we found the
entrance to the barrow. Again my prowess was sufficient to heft the stone seal,
no thanks to that dandy Nelathrell, I think you two would get along. Venturing inside we were beset by
a plague of inanimate objects. I fended off a flying axe only to be knocked
unconscious by an ambulatory swarm of prayer books. We prevailed and made our
way into the next room. As we entered a pair of skeletons
were engaged in some form of hovering aerial waltz. With few other options,
Gravedigger joined their sinister dance above what appeared to be a deep
crevasse. However, I provoked a hostile reaction from the skeletons when I
disturbed one of the nearby tombs. Another fight ensued and I was hoisted aloft
by some sort of levitating ichor originating from around the rift. We
vanquished the foes somewhat battered for our efforts and decided to return to
Hope. Fortunately, we managed to recover a fair amount of loot, the source of
the strange dreams AND sustained no casualties. All in all a successful trip. And no, I won’t join you in
Korthos. What an awful idea, return to me in Hope and we can discuss terms at
the Stuck Pig. May the Spider Queen lay her eggs
in your stomach. Your all-conquering and superior
sister,
Thrella Ka’Vorrin
