Post Journals / Story / Notes / adventure talk here (April 2016) Burning Farmlands, Countryside, Sewer Nightmares

Journal Notes 4/26: Dratz! I was so relaxed after Mama San's that I forgot to collect on our bet! And now the sewers seem to be a dwelling for those with evil intentions once again! Trolls, creatures that would have once threatened not only our existence, but this towns were easily swept away. What worries me though is what else is down there? What sort of magic could cause my fellow travelers to grow paler? With all that they... that we... have faced what sort of horror could make them flee like they did? I have seen this witch cause the feeble minded to run before, but this is something stronger. Is Cylara behind this somehow or is there some other dark presence encroaching upon Portlandio? I fear that even the greatest of cities can only take so much destruction. Perhaps this place is cursed. The old books used to tell of how grand this city was and even I myself have seen it prospering, but is it perhaps this city's fate to be in constant ruin? I surely hope not as I have slowly begun to consider this place home.

Patrolling volcanic dust, in a circuit around the bones of my friends and allies, for a hundred years. Hungry all the time but not dying, strength fading, my fur bleached white and bones grinding from old age, I struggle to walk on. All alone, nothing alive in sight, where my hills and forests once were. In the sewers and tunnels beneath the city, we hunted for the cause of our nightmares. Rich scents here. An observation about Cylara---although they maintain being above everything we mere mortals attempt or accomplish, here they are in a sewer just the same. With the rest of us. We fight down here, irredeemable monsters. They are slain, yet still there is a presence we have yet to defeat. We are attacked physically and mentally by the presence. I am struck, several times, by a sense of uncaring. Wasted time, hopelessness, even though I know I am in a sewer, blood on my weapons, protecting allies and innocents. Logic tells me I am obviously doing something important, but I am not just a creature of reason. The feeling of it all being pointless overwhelms me and I just listlessly fight on, my mind elsewhere. Anywhere but here, really. What am I doing with my life? Even for a minotaur, there must be better career options. It isn't even the filth that bothers me, it's that I have got to have someplace better to be.  This isn’t even a real maze, it’s a public works project!

post space reserved for DM -- I may edit this and add more. Closing Journals of April 26 Thank you all for Journals! Larry I just got a chance to see yours as I didn't see it before game. I think most of you received your proper Journal XP bonus in-chat. Closing April Journals Thread! I will open a new thread for May sessions journals. Check back here later for the fresh new thread link!

Baradin's Journal - Mid Summer With the orc raiders routed our band started back to Porlandio. Unfortunately, while traveling the countryside we accidentally got split up. I pity those who had to walk back... Luckily I had my steadfast warhorse, Javen to ride on. After several misadventures and hours of hard travel, we made it back to town. Entering the Eastern gate we proceeded to the Mage's Tower. There I delivered my young ward into the care of the Headmaster. He quickly recognized her as a magical prodigy and enrolled her into their school. Saying goodbye, I started off towards the Naughty Nymph Inn. By now it was very late... Nightfall had made the tangle of streets difficult to maneuver through. All the decent common folk were inside their homes... Only the riffraff and gutter rats remained...  As I passed each intersection it became more apparent something was rotten in Portlandio. A corruption had set in while we had been away... I could not place it... For a second or two I felt a malevolent presence radiating from the sewer grates. Before I could investigate further, a blood curdling scream pierced the night! A "lady of the evening" emerged from a side alleyway covered in blood... Seeing me she began raving hysterically... Saying several limbs had risen from the nearby sewer... These tentacles killed her "client"... Literally ripping him apart... Before vanishing back through the grate... At first I was taken aback her claims... Such outlandish nonsense! But she persisted... Each retelling added more clues. I was honor-bound to investigate. What would it hurt? If she simply murdered her "client" then it would be off to the city guard. If it was as she claimed... Now we had a greater threat to contend with... I quickly dismounted Javen and went into the alley. I didn't have to wait to long before I found a most grisly scene... Dear gods! It was as she said! Blood and flesh was everywhere... What was left of our victim had been devoured... By something large... And unearthly strong... I alerted a nearby watchman to the crime and immediately set off to gather my fellow member of the Broken Spear. Tired and weary I arrived at the Nymph... Only to find a very startled Sigma in the great room. He muttered something about the sewer entrance below... (Due to being a Cavalier, Baradin is immune to the Feyr's fear effects. He was susceptible to other psychic attacks...)

Excellent Journals from back in the end of April. DM going back to last month to respond. Some of those came-in the week I was feeling sick. Going back to re-read now, I noticed a lot of interesting comments, character study, questions and adventure talk! Cylara asked a great question about, why did Lord Harlepen's men seem to be helping the Orcs? And should anyone tell the Generals about that? Cylara also -- the kind of Feywine you were looking for... Obviously this vintage can be sourced by Ota Sura, a Mayor Half-Elf who has lived many years.  She is the person to ask about rare-goods that have Elvish and Dwarvish origins (such as Feywine, Mithiril, or Elven Chainmail). Chris / Airen -- good character thinking about wondering if the sewer fear came from Cylara, but then recognizing that it came from a different force. Swargen -- we spoke in-game. Some of Thor's artifacts were dug-up and stolen from the foundation that was beneath the Greek temple (where a Norse shrine had previously stood 100's of years earlier). It seems the typhoon may have blown the items (e.g. The Typhoon Dragon and her agents may have carried the Thor artifacts) far to the North, into the Orc City, in hopes of learning how to use the items to expand the orc tide. Solid -- awesome. Baradin finally vanquished that Greater Feyr. I believe everyone except Cylara has gotten your Journal XP proposed and approved in Chat. Silks , let's be sure you got the XP for Cylara's April-ending journal.